


New Life-- Original Fiction

by 1freekywriter



Category: Original Work
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Anxiety Attacks, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-05-05 09:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14615001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1freekywriter/pseuds/1freekywriter
Summary: This is original fiction.Mae-Jin Li has had everything he's ever wanted. It comes with being crown prince. Sure, it comes with mountains of paper work and responsibility, but at least it not just him.In-Soo has almost nothing. No parents. No money. One friend. He's lucky to have someplace to live, even if he has to have to sex to live there.In a chance of fate (or negotiation), their lives come together in a whirlwind of chance, pain, and love. Now as Mae-Jin's guard, how will In-Soo survive as everything he knows comes crashing down around him? How will Mae-Jin handle as the world seems determined to end him?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally supposed to be an Akatsuki no Yona fanfic idea, so all the locations and names are Korean. However, this isn't inspired by Korean history and literature, so sorry for any accidental misconceptions or problems. Please let me know so I can fix it.
> 
> Also, there are mentions of sex, but there will nothing explicit in this. For any possible triggers, I will mention it in the notes and tag it as it appears.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life, and paperwork, is about to get a lot easier for Mae-Jin when his parents inform him about someone they are hiring on his behalf. But, when Mae-Jin learns of his new hire's dark and bloody past, he wonders just how well of a fit he'll be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this are: mentioned sex work

Mae-Jin

Mae-Jin sits at his desk, signing countless reports and notices. He lets his mind wander as the stack slowly shrinks. He's almost done. Finally.

Just as his pen tip touches the final paper, Mae-Jin's door opens. He looks up from the paper and sets his pen down.

"Your Highness, the Queen and King request your presence."

Mae-Jin turns to face the aide, nodding. The aide leaves, leaving Mae-Jin alone to wonder what his parents want from him. He sighs, knowing that it would be rude to leave them waiting.

He stands from his desk and speedwalks to the throne room.

Before Mae-Jin stands his parents in all their glory. His mother is intimidating with her height and long flowing blonde hair, and his father, while small in comparison, has a kingly presence with short cropped dark brown hair.

"Maeji," his mother begins, smiling in the  way only she can, "you have a lot of work to do by yourself, right?"

"Yes, I do. Why?” Mae-Jin answers, cautiously. Although his parents are good people, the question fills him with unease. His parents share a look, and his unease grows.

“We’re hiring another informant, but unfortunately he didn’t accept the position until after we agreed to hire his friend too. But, we don’t need his friend, so we thought that maybe…” his father trails off.

“You thought that I could use him,” Mae-Jin finishes. They both nod. He purses his lips. It figures that something like this would happen.

“When should I expect this friend to arrive?” he inquires dryly. His mother’s face scrunches up. Mae-Jin tenses apprehensively, not wanting to know why.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, nothing. He’s arriving next week for the interview. It’s up to you how it goes,” his mother laughs. Mae-Jin narrows his eyes.

“Alright. Is there anything else I need to know? You know, like a name perhaps?” Mae-Jin prods.

“His name is In-Soo. He’s twenty-one years old. There’s no other significant information that you won’t find by reading his file,” his father explains. Mae-Jin nods and turns to leave the room.

“I’ll have his file delivered later this evening. Right now, your father and I are reviewing it,” his mother offers.

“Thank you.”

Mae-Jin turns to his parents once more and bows his head respectfully before leaving the room.

As promised, an hour later, an aide delivers the file. They bow quickly to Mae-Jin and zoom off to finish their work. Mae-Jin holds the file in his hands. It’s surprisingly light. Usually, there’s all sorts of information on people. He sits on his bed and uses the headboard to lean against.

He opens the file cover and a drawing of a person’s face, most likely In-Soo’s, stares back at him. The drawing is black and white, but somehow it manages to appear full of life. The expression on his face is happy. His hair is drawn back into a ponytail with hair falling over his shoulder. Mae-Jin blinks and turns to the next page. There isn’t a lot on the page besides a short list of In-Soo’s skills. Interesting. It says that In-Soo was good at dealing with people, but he also has combat training.

Mae-Jin turns the page. The next page is filled completely. The header reads, “Past Work.” He skims the page, his stomach dropping with each word. By the time Mae-Jin finishes the page, he feels sick to his stomach. What kind of person hires an eight year old to be their bodyguard?

He turns the page. He reads it, his stomach dropping even more. He tears his eyes from the paper. Who would force a person to do these things? When he finishes the page, Mae-Jin sets the file down on his bed. His stomach churns as he lays down, using his arm as a pillow.

Mae-Jin shuts his eyes briefly, somewhat tempted to fall asleep right now, but if he does, he’ll have to finish the file later. And he already agreed to go into town with Yoon and feed the homeless. Mae-Jin doesn’t need to feel sick to his stomach while doing that. Ugh, but he doesn’t have the energy to read anymore.

Mae-Jin sighs before sitting back up. He flips to the next page. Bile rises in his throat. After what feels like a lifetime, he finishes the page. Mae-Jin warily looks at the next page. Thankful is his first feeling when he realizes that it’s list. Dread is the next after he reads the title. Infractions. What sort of trouble would In-Soo have gotten in with a past like that?

Mae-Jin reads the list. His brows furrow. Most of the infractions are violent, just short of murder. Assault, stealing, poisoning, but none has ever resulted in death. And, Mae-Jin notices, the last recorded infraction was dated two years ago.

He closes the file, a pit of nerves settling in his stomach. He sets it down on his nightstand and blows out the candle before laying. As the darkness engulfs him, Mae-Jin could almost imagine what In-Soo would be like. Maybe he would be like Saeyoung, feisty, but deadly. Or maybe, he would be nice, like Lili, and the only reason his file is so dark is because most of his major life events were dark. Or maybe, he would be some combination.

Mae-Jin yawns, exhaustion pulling his eyelids down until he slowly drifts off to sleep, like a raft lazily floating in a calm sea, with his new hire being the only thing on his mind.

The next week passes slowly as Mae-Jin nearly drives himself mad preparing for the interview in between his other duties. Three days in a godforsaken row, he has to meet with the royal advisors. Naturally, because they're stiff and close minded, they advise against hiring In-Soo. He decides that he will hire him, if only just to spite them. After meeting with the advisors, Mae-Jin meets with Saeyoung  and Hyun to discuss what would be the best course of action for interviewing In-Soo.

“First off, Mae-Jin,” Saeyoung begins with humor dancing in his eyes, “don't talk yourself down to try and forge a connection with him. When I surveyed him and Kyo, he seemed to understand social statuses. Instead, try and find common ground that people can enjoy regardless of position of power. Like dogs, or food, or sleep.”

Mae-Jin nods, tempted to write notes, but then remembering that Saeyoung is here and would laugh at him for being so invested. Hyun rolls his eyes at his husband, an action which is ruined by the fond smile on his face.

“Your Highness, while my dork husband has a point, try start with being professional. If you two hit it off, then find common ground,” Hyun suggests, facing Mae-Jin with an intense sincerity that only someone like Hyun can possess.

“Why does it sound like you're giving me advice for a date?”

Saeyoung raises an eyebrow and winks comically. Hyun almost glowers.

“You can't date a man you haven't met yet, Your Highness. It's not wise to have feelings for mere words on a paper. He could be a dick,” Hyun advises ever so eloquently. Mae-Jin loves Hyun and Saeyoung, he really does, but they give the worst advice when they're together.

Yoon sits across from Mae-Jin with one leg crossed over the other. The chef exudes an aura of swagger and importance that can't be matched by actual royalty. If he wanted to, Yoon could declare himself king and Mae-Jin probably would be too intimidated to deny it. Luckily, Yoon is a loyal man. He has said on multiple occasions that he would die before lifting a hand to harm Mae-Jin. And, he was wise beyond his years.

“Maeji, just ask the normal questions. It's stupid to overthink this. And if you're really desperate to get him to like it here, just bring him to the cafeteria. I can assure that no one's ever said no after eating my food,” Yoon laughs at his own joke. Yoon is loyal, a good cook, and mostly good company, but the tradeoff is that he’s almost self obsessed. Almost. The only things he cares about more than himself are food and sleep.

“I’m not that desperate, Yoon. You just seemed more helpful than Hyun and Saeyoung.”

Yoon smirks, holding his head up with his palm. His brown eyes are light and full and full of fire. If it wasn't  for the fact that Yoon is sorely against romance in general, Mae-Jin might have been attracted to him.

“Alright, alright. But I still wanna meet this kid, Maeji,” Yoon.declares, sitting up. He looks at the doors leading to the kitchen and stands up.

“Break’s over?” Mae-Jin asks.

“Yeah. I can't leave my baby to other people too long. It might get hurt.”

“It's a kitchen.”

“Oh, like you don't call soup the love of your life.”

With that last word, Yoon turns on his heel and saunters away, hand on hips. A fond smile spreads across Mae-Jin's face.

After a moment, he stands and leaves the cafeteria. The walk back to his room is slow and relaxed. On the way, a few aides and advisors come up to him to give him reports. He takes the papers with a thankful, but fake smile. More work. Wonderful.

Mae-Jin sighs when he enters his room. The bed is big and pushed up against the wall to give him as much space as possible. Against the opposite wall is his desk. Stacks of paper fill it with only a space in the center. He glowers at the stack of unfinished work. With a heavy sigh, he begins to work long into the night until the pile diminishes to nothing.

Mae-Jin forces his eyes open. He sits up and winces as his shoulder throbs with a dull incessant pain. He grits his teeth and ignores it. His eyes feel like sandpaper as he surveys the mess of haphazardly stacked papers that he finished looking over in the dark confines of early morning. How many hours has he slept? He squints at the clock that hangs over his desk. Seven in the morning. It’s still far too early for Mae-Jin to be awake. He lays back down and turns onto his good side, facing the wall. Maybe, he could get away with a couple more hours before the advisors started yelling at him.

Mae-Jin closes his eyes again and drifts off in the comforting warm recesses of sleep.

When Mae-Jin next opens his eyes, it’s because of a furious pounding on his bedroom door. He sits up and looks blankly at it before processing the noise.

“Your Highness! The new employees are about to arrive! Appear presentable in five minutes otherwise we will have to postpone!” one of the Royal Advisors yell.

“Alright! Sorry for causing trouble!” Mae-Jin calls back. The knocking stops and quick footsteps shuffle away. Mae-Jin lets out a long, exasperated breath. What's the point of postponing if they were already here?

He stands from his bed and faces his closet. He opens the door and stares blankly at the clothes that hang in there. Mae-Jin chooses the most professional outfit that he can comprehend at the moment.

Mae-Jin dresses and rushes to the entrance of the castle where his parents wait with a serene smile.

The chill of the morning air finally reaches Mae-Jin, and he shivers. He turns towards the gates. They’re open, and the sounds of a bustling morning carries through them. Smells of baking bread and coffee waft in with trotting of horses. Mae-Jin looks at his parents, who nod at him.

“Do you know when they’ll get here?”

“On the hour,” his father laughs and turns back to face the gate.

A quarter hour passes before Mae-Jin hears the sound of horses nearing the castle. He stands up straighter and watches the gate.

Soon after, three horses trot into view. Every second brings the three people closer. Mae-Jin squints, trying to pick In-Soo out of the three of them, but they're still too far away to see clearly.

As the horses get closer, Mae-Jin notices that all three of them are wearing worn and tattered cloaks. All of their hoods are up and there are mud stains along the bottoms. To be honest, they look more like they should be coming here to ask for help, rather than being invited by his parents. Mae-Jin feels a flash of guilt at the thought. He really has spent too much time with the Advisors. The people pause at the gate, and two guards come forward to check their belongings.

Once they're clear, the three get off their horses and walk through the gate. They stop a few feet away and bow. Mae-Jin feels vaguely uncomfortable. He's never really liked people bowing for him. A few moments later, they all stand straight and take off their hoods.

”Queen Mei, thank you for this,” the oldest one utters almost fervently. Their ash colored hair streaked with a stark white. They're standing in front of the other two. Mae-Jin looks at his mom. She's smiling fondly.

”It's been a while Eunji. Why don't you stay for a few days, so we can catch up?”

The person smiles before shaking their head. “Usually, I would accept, but I've been away from my girls too long as it is. Although, the horses do need rest. I'll stay until lunch. Is that suitable, Your Majesty?”

Mae-Jin notices that the other two are whispering. He glances at his dad, who nods. He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders. Before he says anything, Mae-Jin looks In-Soo over. He’s small, no more than 5’4, and his hair, a striking and strangely familiar red, is tangled and ratty. His skin is a darkish brown, not as dark as Saeyoung, but more so than Mae-Jin himself. He can't tell the color of his eyes, but they’re striking, even from a distance. Mae-Jin clears his throat.

”In-Soo,” he begins, watching as the other man flinches, “if you'd please come with me, we can begin your interview.”

In-Soo nods without a word, glancing at the other person. He smiles at them, and walks up to Mae-Jin. He’s so obviously nervous that Mae-Jin almost feels bad.

"Well then," he starts to break the awkward silence before it begins, "we'll start with a tour of the palace while I ask you some questions. Is that amenable for you?"

"Yes, Your Highness," In-Soo answers quietly. His voice is smooth, but kind of raspy. Mae-Jin thinks it fits him. 

He begins walking towards the entrance. When Mae-Jin gets there, he stops, watching as In-Soo catches up.

"This," he gestures to the wide wooden doors, "is the entrance of the palace." What we're in currently is the courtyard. It's usually open to the public for festivals, or, if someone has an audience with one of the royal cabinet, they wait here until It's time." 

In-Soo nods.

They enter the palace. Inside it's business as usual with aides and guards bustling about. 

Mae-Jin stops at Lili's office first. 

"This is our palace doctor's main office. She oversees the health of all employees with her medical team. Her name is Lili, and should you get hurt, she'll take care of you better than most," Mae-Jin explains. He peeks in the office. It's empty right now, so Lili's most likely in the infirmary.

"Okay," In-Soo mumbles. He doesn't talk a lot, Mae-Jin's noticed. 

"So, on the topic of health, how's yours? Any serious injuries or conditions that limit what you're able to do?"

In-Soo opens his mouth before closing it again. He looks conflicted. He finally sighs.

"Not that I'm aware of? But, sometimes, it gets hard to breathe," In-Soo admits.

"We can get that checked out soon," Mae-Jin assures him.

They move on to and from the garden, the kitchen, the library, the meeting room, until they finally get to the armory and training grounds.

Mae-Jin sees Kyung-ja, the military commander, watching and instructing the trainees. She looks up and Mae-Jin waves. She nods at him before calling out, "Good work today. His Highness needs this space, so let's wrap it up."

 Once they all clear out, Mae-Jin walks to the sparring mat. In-Soo follows him. 

"Why are we here?" In-Soo asks. It the first time that he's spoken without being prompted to. 

"I only have a few more questions. I thought the best place to ask them was here," Mae-Jin explains. He stretches his arms over his head, almost wincing when a flash of pain shoots through it.

"Okay. Sorry for speaking out of turn," In-Soo mumbles. 

"There's no 'speaking out of turn' with me, so don't worry about it. Anyways, let's get to it."

"Okay."

"So, what's with all the assault on your record?"

In-Soo exhales through his nose.

"You know I was a sex worker, right?"

Mae-Jin nods.

"Well, I'd have to defend myself if any of those assholes ever tried something they didn't pay for," In-Soo practically spits out. Mae-Jin nods solemnly. That's what he figured.

"Thanks for telling me. I have one more thing to ask," Mae-Jin informs him.

In-Soo nods. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Spar with me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In-Soo's not sure how to act around Prince Mae-Jin. He seems nice enough, but everyone seems nice at first until they're not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for mentions of triggers and anxiety attacks

In-Soo

In-Soo stares at Prince Mae-Jin. The prince wants to spar with him? Why? He tries to find the words to ask the prince this. Nothing makes him comfortable enough to actually say.

“Sure?”

Prince Mae-Jin nods, flashing him a warm smile. In-Soo watches as he walks to the center of the mat. He’s unsure of what to think about the prince. He seems nice enough, but he’s still never sent any aid, even though Poseong desperately needs it. In-Soo follows him to the mat.

They circle each other. In-Soo observes Prince Mae-Jin. There’s something off about his left arm. He’s, like, bracing it for something. But that just means, it's weaker.

In-Soo won’t strike first. He raises his fists to cover his face and neck. He has to stay on the defensive. The prince is probably stronger than him, but he’s probably used winning by brute strength, so he might be easily fooled if In-Soo pretends to be pinned.

The prince comes in close for a punch. In-Soo blocks as best he can. It’s a little shaky. Maybe pretend was a little overconfident.

They continue with a punching-blocking pattern for about a minute before In-Soo conveniently falls onto his back. Prince Mae-Jin pins In-Soo’s shoulders the ground. He smiles triumphantly. In-Soo hopes his face looks convincingly defeated.

“Looks like I win,” Prince Mae-Jin pants, out of breath.

“Are you sure, Your Highness?” is all the warning that In-Soo gives before swinging his elbow into Prince Mae-Jin’s arm.

Prince Mae-Jin winces and shifts slightly, which gives In-Soo enough room to knee him in the stomach. Prince Mae-Jin grunts and falls off In-Soo, cursing under his breath. He rolls onto his back and lets out a bark of laughter.

“Nevermind,” he wheezes. In-Soo pushes himself up into a sitting position, and offers a hand to Prince Mae-Jin.

“If it’s any consolation, Your Highness,” In-Soo pants out in between heavy breathing, “if your left arm wasn’t weaker, I don’t think that would’ve worked.”

In-Soo gauges the prince’s reaction. It’s … a little off putting to say the least. He’s doesn’t frown and glare at the comment, but his smile turns more plastic, and his eyes look pained. There’s a story there, that’s for sure.

The two get to their feet after a minute to catch their breath.

“So, what’s next?” In-Soo inquires, keeping his hands behind his back. He feels more at ease now. Before, he felt like if he said the wrong thing, he’d be killed on the spot. Now, though? He’s still nervous, but not like he can’t talk. Prince Mae-Jin hums thoughtfully and strokes his chin.

“Well, we have three options,” the prince muses.

“Which are?”

“Well,” he begins, “we can go get lunch from the cafeteria and ask any last minute questions; i could show you where you’d be staying if you took the job; or we could finish it up now and return to my parents.”

In-Soo purses his lips together. The thought of food is tantalizing; In-Soo hasn’t had a full meal in ages. His stomach aches at the thought of warm, delicious food.

“If it’s alright with you, Your Highness , I’d like to go the cafeteria,” In-Soo queries uncertainly. The prince smiles and begins almost marching off. In-Soo speed walks in order to keep up with him. The prince is talking really excitedly about something; In-Soo can’t really understand what though because all of his energy is being used to keep up with Prince Mae-Jin and forcing his stomach not to eat itself.

A few minutes later, the two of them arrive. In-Soo’s taken aback when the prince opens the doors. The cafeteria looks more like a restaurant that even the richest in Poseong wouldn’t be able to afford. It makes him sick to his stomach.

“Your Highness,” he starts before forcing himself to take a deep breath, “is this- do the- do the staff have to pay for their meals?”

“No, all the food in the cafeteria is free for all the staff. Why?” The prince looks almost concerned.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to offend or anything, but, um,” In-Soo trails off.

“It’s a bit much when it comes to the decor?” Prince Mae-Jin finishes In-Soo’s thought with a note of sympathy.

“You could say that.”

The prince pats In-Soo on the shoulder. In-Soo tenses up, reflexively. A cold tendril of realization laced with guilt wraps around him. He knows it was innocuous, but some part of his brain makes anyone who isn’t Kyo’s touch feel like a threat. His heart’s racing again, and suddenly, all of his hunger turns into a bubbling pit of anxiety.

“I’m sorry,” Prince Mae-Jin apologizes. His apology cuts through the cold fog and brings In-Soo back to the present.

“Please don’t touch me without my permission, Your Highness,” In-Soo pleads harshly.

“Right, I-I’m sorry,” Prince Mae-Jin apologizes again. In-Soo sweeps his eyes over him again. He looks extremely guilty, He’s frowning and his eyebrows are upturned. In-Soo almost feels bad.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” In-Soo sighs, pulling some hair behind his ear. “It was out of line.”

“Like I said before, In-Soo, there’s no speaking out turn with me. I didn’t ask you if you were okay with being touched by people. It’s a mistake on my part. Don’t worry about it,” Prince Mae-Jin assures with an easy smile. In-Soo nods.

They walk into the cafeteria, and In-Soo’s even more overwhelmed being in it than just seeing it. It’s the nicest place he’s ever seen. Long tables line two of the walls with a different assortment of foods just sitting there. There’s also a counter along the back wall with two doors lining it. Behind the counter is an employee. They’re talking with someone else before they turn and yell out an order. Moments later, three others exit through  the doors carrying large silver and gold platters. In the middle, dozens of circular tables are scattered with a handful of people at each one.

As In-Soo and Prince Mae-Jin walk further into the cafeteria, everyone starts staring at them. In-Soo feels hundreds of prickling needles on him. Here he is, filthy and small and an outsider, in what might just be the most grand and opulent room in this palace.

In-Soo follows Mae-Jin to the counter. The person working it glances at In-Soo before turning to the prince.

“What can I do you for you, Your Highness?” they ask. The prince smiles at them kindly.

“I need to see Yoon. Also, is there still some stew?” he asks, looking more upbeat than he did before entering the room. The employee nods and calls someone to the counter.

“I’ll be right there, get Maeji some stew,” is the response.

The door next to the counter opens. Out saunters the most fashionably dressed person that In-Soo’s seen so far. They look normal, medium brown skin, brownish eyes, until In-Soo gets to their hair. It’s dyed a lavender color, if In-Soo had to guess. They’re tall, maybe the same size as the prince or Kyo. They lean against the counter, resting their elbow on it.

“So, is this the one, Maeji?”

Anxiety strikes In-Soo like a hot poker. The person, Yoon, is staring at him, eyes narrowed.

“Yep, we were both hungry, so we're going to finish up the interview here,” Prince Mae-Jin explains.

“Hey, newbie,” Yoon addresses In-Soo, “let's get one thing straight. You ever hurt him in any way, shape, or form, you won't ever breathe again.”

In-Soo swallows. Yoon can't be much older than him, but the presence they ooze is more intimidating than pretty much everyone In-Soo’s met today.

“I don't plan on it, sir,” he promises quietly.

“Good. Anyway, I'm Yoon. I’m head chef and also in charge of kitchen management. Nice to to meet you,” Yoon says with a sunny smile, as if they hadn't been ready to murder In-Soo with a ladle.

“And you as well,” In-Soo replies.

Yoon laughs loudly and claps Prince Mae-Jin on the back.

“Oh! He has manners! Nice,” Yoon smiles again, “You two go sit. I'll bring your food out.”

In-Soo follows Prince Mae-Jin to a mostly empty table. Two others sit there, talking. They look up and smile at the prince before their gazes zero in on In-Soo. The bigger one, someone with light skin and long blonde hair, narrows their eyes and turns to look back at their companion, someone with dark brown skin and hair that's weirdly close to In-Soo's own, before looking back at In-Soo.

“In-Soo, this is Hyun-” the prince points the bigger one, “-he’s the military commander under Kyung-ja. And this is Saeyoung; he's the lead informant.”

“Nice to meet you,” In-Soo greets the two of them. Hyun nods in greeting.

“Nice to meet you! So you're Kyo's friend?” Saeyoung leans forward.

“You know Kyo?” In-Soo can't help the question. This whole time, he's been balancing on a wire when he's talked to superiors. It's 1000% worse without Kyo, so the past hour has been nearly torturous. Just hearing his name is enough to ease his nerves somewhat.

“Yeah. I'm technically gonna be his boss, so Maeji's parents wanted me to ask some questions too,” Saeyoung waves his hand flippantly. Prince Mae-Jin sits down and nods to the seat next to him. In-Soo sits there. He’s hyper aware of the fact he’s sitting with some of the highest ranked people in the kingdom. Him, a now ex-sex worker. Him, dirty and dingy and dull. It’s overwhelming.

He lets his mind wander and the prince talks to Saeyoung and Hyun. He wonders how Kyo’s doing. If he’s sitting with the queen and king and thinking the same things that In-Soo is. Nah, he’s probably telling them off for all but abandoning Poseong. Well, probably not, but he’s most definitely charming their pants off.

“In-Soo? Is everything okay?”

In-Soo blinks. Prince Mae-Jin, Hyun, and Saeyoung are all looking at him.

“Ah, sorry. I’m fine.”

Yoon saunters up to the table, carefully balancing two steaming bowls. With the quick carefulness of a professional, they set down the bowls in front of In-Soo and Prince Mae-Jin.

“Enjoy!”

“Thank you,” In-Soo mumbles.

He takes a bite. And then another. And another. It's the best damned food he’s ever tasted. Sure, the bar’s really low. Before this, the best meal In-Soo’s ever had was decently fried fish on rice. The first time. Before that was the most nutritious meal that actually filled his stomach. Now, he never wants to even smell it again.

This stew though? It's thick, but not too thick. Savory and flavorful without being overwhelming. It's warm, but it doesn't burn the roof of In-Soo's mouth. He can't stop eating it.

The bowl’s empty in a matter of minutes, much to In-Soo's dismay.

He sets the spoon down on the napkin next to the empty bowl.

“So, I take that you liked it?” Prince Mae-Jin laughs. In-Soo nods silently.

“Good. If you’re ready, I can show you where you'll be staying, and then we can talk with my parents and the Advisors,” Mae-Jin suggests. In-Soo nods. He messes with his ponytail, running his fingers through it a couple of times. Despite the food, knots form in his stomach. He probably won't be able to stay with Kyo. The thought makes him want to vomit.

“Sure,” In-Soo concedes through his nausea. He gets up after Prince Mae-Jin, bowing slightly to Hyun and Saeyoung. They smile and glance at each other before Hyun nods.

In-Soo follows the prince to a more secluded part of the castle. It's more sparse with only two or three guards stationed through each hall, Prince Mae-Jin stops at the end of a hallway. There were only two doors on each side of it. He turns to the one on the right. The prince opens it and gestures for In-Soo to come closer.

The room is mostly bare, only a bed, a desk, dresser, and closet. But it's big and spacious.

“This is going to your room,” Mae-Jin tells In-Soo.

In-Soo nods and looks around the room. The bed is big enough for two. The beginning of an idea forms in his mind.

“Your Highness, do you know where Kyo will be staying?”

Prince Mae-Jin opens his mouth before closing it again. He takes a deep breath.

“I'm not sure. We have informants choose where they stay,” the prince explains.

In-Soo nods. So, it's up to Kyo. That's good. Prince Mae-Jin moves along to the next door. He opens it, and In-Soo can tell that it's the prince’s.

It's what can only be called organized chaos. The floor is clean, but the desk is cluttered with papers piled high. The bed is messily made, with the covers only being pulled up and the pillows haphazardly placed.

“This is my room. You'll report here first rather than the cafeteria or the throne,” Prince Mae-Jin explains. In-Soo nods.

“And that's the reason our rooms are next to each other?” In-Soo clarifies.

Prince Mae-Jin smiles and nods.

“That and it was one of the few rooms not in the guards quarters.”

“I see.”

“Do you have any questions before we see my parents?”

In-Soo pauses. He thinks for a moment.

“What time should I report to you?”

The prince scratches his head, thinking for a moment.

“Whenever you wake up is fine,” Prince Mae-Jin elaborates.

In-Soo nods.

They walk to the throne room. Along the way, staff come up to greet the prince. They cast curious glances In-Soo’s way. He gives them a cautious smile in response.

The area around and leading up to the throne room feels different. Before, there were guards stationed along the hallways and hideaways, but a good two rows of them are stationed in front of and around the sides of the entrance of the throne room.

Prince Mae-Jin waves at them as he and In-Soo pass them. They walk into the throne room. Surprisingly, it's less grand than the cafeteria. The thrones sit in the back of the room. They look to be some kind of metal, but it's far from gold or silver. A few feet away, a large wooden table sits. There are four people sitting there.

In-Soo recognizes the slouched form of Madam Eunji. Her gray tattered cloak hangs in the back of the chair. Kyo sits next to her, hands folded in front him and back straight. Seeing him brings a moment of calm to In-Soo. They are finally near each other again, so the world is correct now.

“Mother,” Prince Mae-Jin begins in an easy going manner, “we're finished.”

Queen Yue looks up at them, a small smile gracing her features.

“Very good. We're just about done here as well. Just one question left for you Kyo,” she addresses the boy in front of her. He sits up straighter. In-Soo can’t help the smile at his friend’s expense.

“If it’s okay with you, Your Majesty, I’d like to stay with In-Soo. So, wherever he's staying, I'd like to as well,” Kyo answers with his voice held high. In-Soo feels tears prick the corner of his eyes. That was the thing that scared him the most about coming here. What if he's separated from Kyo?

He almost doesn't hear the answer because of his heartbeat echoing in his ears. But he's glad he can.

“That would depend on In-Soo,” King Kyung-ha answers amicably. All of them look at In-Soo expectantly, as if they didn't know his answer.

“Of course you can Kyo,” In-Soo manages, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Kyo smiles brilliantly, his elation written all over his face. In-Soo’s tempted to hug him, but the presence of the queen and king deter him.

“Well, I guess that's settled. I should be taking my leave.” Madam Eunji stands up and begins to walk out the room.

As she passes In-Soo, she squeezes his arm softly. It’s a goodbye, In-Soo realizes after she leaves the room. He thought he'd be more emotional when it came down to it, but instead he just feels numb.

An hour later, both Kyo and In-Soo’s jobs are finalized. They walk back to their room, following behind Prince Mae-Jin. He's talking about what life at the castle's generally like, but In-Soo can’t pay attention. He's too busy looking around. Now that Kyo's with him, the castle looks so much brighter.

“Maybe we should be paying attention,” Kyo whispers, glancing at the prince with a mirthful expression. In-Soo laughs softly.

“Maybe.”

By the time the three reach the rooms, Kyo's already started messing with Prince Mae-Jin. While good natured at the core, In-Soo unsure if it's the best thing, but the prince seems to be taking it well enough. He laughs at something Kyo says and In-Soo’s world seems to stop. Now that the prince seems more human, he looks the same, but different. Full of light, In-Soo guesses.

“Ah, here we are.” Prince Mae-Jin stops in front of his door. In-Soo nods at him.

“Good night, Your Highness. What time should I be here?”

“Ah, whenever you wake up is fine. Good night In-Soo. Good night Kyo.” Prince Mae-Jin opens the door and walks in. He smiles at In-Soo softly before closing the door behind him.  

In-Soo and Kyo exchange glances before entering their room. Kyo immediately flips down on the bed. In-Soo sits down next to him.

“So, that's Prince Mae-Jin, huh?” Kyo asks, a hint of mischief in his voice. In-Soo nods.

“He’s way different than I thought,” In-Soo comments quietly.

“Yeah, he's actually pretty nice. Did you see how he smiled at you? He totally thinks you're beautiful.” Kyo looks at In-Soo and winks. In-Soo rolls his eyes.

“That doesn't matter.”

Kyo starts laughing loudly. In-Soo looks down at him, a rush of pure joy elevating him. It's been so long since he's seen Kyo laugh like that. Tears prick at the corner of his eyes.

“Hey In-Soo, I'm glad we're here,” Kyo whispers when he's done laughing. In-Soo pats his stomach. Kyo smiles again before sitting up and pulling In-Soo into his lap.

“I am too,” In-Soo replies quietly. He hugs Kyo tightly, testing hisforehead on his shoulder. Kyo runs his back rhythmically, lulling In-Soo to a half-sleep.

“Don’t forget to take your binder off,” he mumbles.

Kyo chuckles softly.

“I won't.”

In-Soo scoots off of Kyo's lap and pulls the covers up off the bed before half heartedly moving to the pillow and laying down. He pulls the covers back up and closes his eyes. A few minutes later, the room is dark and he feels Kyo lay down next to him. In-Soo falls asleep happy for the first time in years.

When he wakes up, the room is empty, and Kyo is gone. In-Soo jumps out of the bed and frantically turns on the light. He sees a note on the empty desk. He grabs it and reads it. It's from Kyo.

“I was going to wake you up when I left, but you looked so peaceful, I wanted you to get some more sleep. Love you. -Kyo.”

In-Soo takes a deep breath. Kyo is fine. He's working. In-Soo is worrying for nothing. Everything is okay. Nothing is wrong.

But, no matter how times In-Soo forced himself to think that, he can't make the dizzying nausea or the icy grip of fear on his heart.

In-Soo takes another deep breath. He runs his fingers through his hair, trying to get it as neat as possible. He pulls it back up in a ponytail. He looks around the room. He hadn't noticed it yesterday, but there's another door in the room. Cautiously, he opens it. It's a bathroom. The tiniest amount of relief settles over In-Soo. At least he can take a shower and wash up.

He does just that.

In-Soo is transfixed by the way the water goes brown from the dirt to soapy and finally clear. The warm water soothes his headache somewhat. And his hair finally feels clean. The only downside? He has time to think.

The dark, pessimistic part of his brain wonders if all of this is a sick joke. If after a week of being happy, he'll be forced to go back. In-Soo angrily wiped his eyes and turns off the water. He grabs the towel and roughly dries his hair. He gets dressed again.

In-Soo ends up at Prince Mae-Jin’s door at a quarter after 6 am. He takes one more steadying breath before knocking on the door.

A few moments later, the prince opens the door, looking like he just woken up.

“Oh, In-Soo, I didn't realize that you'd be up this early,” Prince Mae-Jin yawns. His hair is messy, and he still looks half asleep.

“Oh, I'm sorry. If you want me to, I can come back later,” In-Soo offers.

“Nah, it's fine. If you want to, you can stay here, or you can go get some more sleep.”

The words echo in his ears, and In-Soo can feel the blood pound in his ears. Go get more sleep? How many times has he heard those words? How many times have those words meant that the following hours would be some the worst experiences in his life?

He can feel his breathing speed up, but it doesn't feel real. In-Soo grows dizzy,

“I-I need to sit down. I-”

“In-Soo, are you okay?”

In-Soo closes his eyes. He knows he's having an anxiety attack, but nothing feels real. Prince Mae-Jin holds on to his arm, and pins stab all throughout In-Soo’s arm. His nausea doubles, and his heart pounds furiously in his chest. No, he doesn't want this. He doesn't want to be here. It grows harder and harder to breathe.

In-Soo yanks his arm away from the prince and immediately doubles over. He can barely hear the prince.

“In-Soo!”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In my mind, I called this "Maeji's No Good, Very Bad Day"  
> Also, this is mostly unedited. If you see any mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> Warnings for anxiety attacks and referenced child abuse

Mae-Jin

 

Mae-Jin can only watch in a horrified daze as In-Soo yanks his arm away and falls.

“In-Soo!” he shouts.

The other man sits, looking forward, but not seeing anything, trembling. His breathing is labored. Mae-Jin has no idea what to do. Trying to help In-Soo up might just make it worse because Mae-Jin would have to touch him, and that only made it worse.

“In-Soo? Can you hear me?” Mae-Jin tries. Slowly, In-Soo looks up. He looks dazed and scared and frustrated.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He shakes his head.

A guard starts to approach. Mae-Jin holds out hand to stop them.

“Your Highness, should I get Lili?”

“Yes, and Kyo too.”

“Yes sir.”

They walk away hurriedly. Mae-Jin returns his focus to In-Soo. He kneels in front of him.

“In-Soo, Kyo’s on his way okay. I'll sit with you until he comes, okay?” Mae-Jin assures as softly as he can.

There's no response, but In-Soo relaxes slightly.

“W-why aren't you telling me to calm down?” In-Soo rasps, his voice trembling. He sounds defeated. It breaks Mae-Jin’s heart.

“Because that won't help,” Mae-Jin answers sternly. In-Soo tucks his knees under his chin and wraps his arms around them. He's tapping his legs almost mindlessly, but his face is taut and sickly. Every second or so, he looks around frantically, before letting out a shaky sigh.

Mae-Jin sits with him, unsure of if he should be talking or not. The things that help Mae-Jin come out of an anxiety attack probably won't help In-Soo.

“Do you want me to talk?” he asks. In-Soo shakes his head no.

A few long minutes later, both Kyo and Lili rush into view.

In-Soo lets out a shaky breath and tries to get to his feet at the sight of Kyo.

Kyo helps him up and wraps him in a tight hug, whispering to him. Lili glances at them and then at Mae-Jin.

Mae-Jin stands up and walks over to her.

“Sorry to call you over this early,” he apologizes. She rolls her eyes.

“‘Early.’”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“6:30 isn't early. And you don't have to apologize. But I will need to see In-Soo when he feels better. Also, I'm making the decision that neither he or Kyo is working today,” Lili announces.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Prince Mae-Jin,” Kyo begins, still holding In-Soo as close as possible, “what happened?”

“Ah, I really don't think that I should- at least not until- ummm,” Mae-Jin trails off, scratching the back of his neck.

“In-Soo, are you okay with the prince explaining what happened?” Kyo asks softly, resting his head gently on In-Soo’s.

“Yeah, that's fine,” In-Soo mumbles.

“Well, I told him-" Mae-Jin glances at In-Soo, who's tensing up again “-get some more rest. I didn't know that was a sore subject. I'm really sorry,” he trails off again.

“It's not your fault. You couldn't have known,” Kyo assures. He kisses In-Soo’s head and lets him go.

“We should probably go with Lili,” he suggests softly to In-Soo.

In-Soo nods and Lili pats Mae-Jin’s shoulder. The three of them walk off in the direction of Lili’s office. Mae-Jin’s left alone, feeling guilty and worried. It hurts, surprisingly, thinking that In-Soo might not want to work with him after all. Mae-Jin wouldn't blame him though. What kind of boss gives someone an anxiety attack before their day even begins? A shitty one.

Mae-Jin sighs and shuffles back into his room. He closes the door behind him and falls into his bed, stomach first. A twinge of pain shoots through his shoulder. It only sours his mood more.

Mae-Jin rolls onto his back. He's tired and worried, and doesn't have the energy to even begin thinking about getting up. He glances at his desk. He can barely make out the pile of reports and letters he needs to read and reply to.

He closes his eyes. A few minutes pass. His brain is nagging at him to get up. His conscience is yelling at him for daring to sleep when In-Soo had an anxiety attack because of him.

Mae-Jin rolls onto his side, facing the wall. He forces, with little success, the dark thoughts away.

His whole body begins to feel uncomfortably itchy. Giving up, Mae-Jin opens his eyes and sits up.

He gets off the bed and walks over to the desk. He turns on the lamp. The small light barely illuminates the entire desk, but enough to work.

Mae-Jin starts working. With each report, Mae-Jin grows more and more restless. He glances at the small desk clock. It's only been an hour since he began. He's done with about half of them. His mind begins to wander.

How's In-Soo doing? Is he talking to Lili right now or resting? The guilt splinters through Mae-Jin and it takes everything in him to not run to Lili’s office and apologize.

Mae-Jin lays his head on his desk. His shoulder still hurts, he’s tired, and the guilt is making him sick to his stomach. Mae-Jin closes his eyes.

Because this day is trying to be the worst, only a few minutes pass before there's knocking on the door.

Mae-Jin sighs and gets up.

He opens the door. His mom stands before him, looking slightly perturbed.

“Mom?”

“I heard what happened. In-Soo and Kyo are going to be taking this week to get settled in. Your father and I were foolish to expect them to be used to the castle in less than 24 hours,” his mom sighs.

“Do you know how In-Soo’s doing?” Mae-Jin asks. She shakes her head.

“He and Kyo were asleep when I talked to Lili, but he seemed better,” she assures him. Mae-Jin nods.

“You might as well take today to rest up,” Mom adds, eyeing the lit desk.

“I'll finish up going through the reports, and then I'll rest,” Mae-Jin promises.

“Are you sure? If you need to take a break, it's fine. You've been working nonstop since you got back from Aunt Rika’s.”

Mae-Jin forces himself not to react at his aunt's name. But it still makes his stomach hurt.

“It's fine, Mom. I just don't want to slack off,” Mae-Jin lies through his teeth. He holds back a sigh. Another thing to add to the pile to feel guilty about. Great.

“If you're sure, Maeji,” she concedes before giving Mae-Jin a hug and walking away.

Mae-Jin closes the door and goes straight to his bed. It’s too early to deal with all of this.

Like before, it’s impossible to fall asleep. Mae-Jin lets out an irritated groan.

This day is the _worst_ , and it hasn't even started yet. He turns on his side and stubbornly closes his eyes.

Sleep does not come easy, but if there’s one thing Mae-Jin’s good at, it’s forcing himself to sleep.

His fitful sleep is broken by quiet knocking. Mae-Jin opens his eyes and sits up. He glances at the clock. It’s only 8:45. Less than an hour.

Sighing, he gets up and walks over to the door, opening it.

Kyo stands in front of him, looking tired, but determined.

“Do you need anything, Kyo?” The question is stuck in the back of his throat. He wouldn't be be surprised if Kyo came to yell at him.

“Your Highness,” Kyo begins, softer than Mae-Jin anticipated, “thank you for taking In-Soo seriously. There are things that set his anxiety to the extreme, and while they may seem innocuous to you, In-Soo can't help his reactions to hearing them.”

“Of course. I can't even begin to imagine everything he's gone through, so I understand that it will be difficult for him to trust me. I just hope he doesn't hate me,” Mae-Jin admits sheepishly.

Kyo smiles kindly. “He doesn’t hate you, but he is scared of you, well, everyone here really.”

Mae-Jin frowns again, sighing tiredly.

“Okay. Anything I can do to help him see that I’m not anything to be afraid of?”

Kyo shrugs, “I don’t think you can right now, unless you stop being a prince, I guess. But, that’s impossible. Just treat him like a friend; he’ll warm up to you eventually.”

“Thanks, Kyo,” Mse-Jin breathes. He feels a little better now, knowing that there’s a chance that he could still be friends with the two of them after all.

“No problem, Your Highness.” Kyo smiles at him.

The two stand there silently, unsure if the conversation is over before Kyo dismisses himself and walks away. Mae-Jin watches Kyo run a hand through his hair. He gently closes the door.

He rests his head against the door.. Right now, all Mae-Jin wants to do is sleep for about 10 years. But, for everything he has through being the prince, the universe hates him, so he’d probably wake up in the midst of the apocalypse or something equally terrible.

He should finish those reports. They're mind numbingly boring, but at least they're something to occupy Mae-Jin for at least a little bit.

Time seems to drag on as he works on the reports. After what feels like a lifetime, Mae-Jin signs the last report. He glances at the clock. 10:17. Mae-Jin sighs. If this were a normal day, he'd usually only be waking up right now. He sighs. His stomach growls.

Oh, right. He should probably eat. It's been 4 hours since he woke up, and he's running on only a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. As Mae-Jin’s lost in his thoughts, he stares at his shaking hands. How long have they been shaky?

“Well then,” he mutters to himself, “don’t want to starve myself.”

Mae-Jin grabs the papers and leaves the room. He hands them to the guard.

“Take these to the Advisors. Also tell them that I'm not meeting anyone today,” Mae-Jin orders them. The guard nods and speeds off.

Mae-Jin walks to the cafeteria. He doesn't pay attention to any of the others. He’s tired and bored and hungry. He heads straight to the counter. Yoon's waiting there with a steaming plate waiting for Mae-Jin.

“You're early,” he comments dryly. Mae-Jin huffs.

“Not right now, please.” He takes the plate and walks over to an empty table. Yoon follows him and sits down. Mae-Jin sighs and sits next to him.

“Maeji? What's wrong? And where's In-Soo?” Yoon asks, concerned and serious.

“Nothing's wrong, really. I'm just not having a good day,” Mae-Jin deflects. It’s not technically a lie.

“You've been up like half an hour. How can it already be a bad day?”

Mae-Jin glares. Yoon tenses.

Ignoring his friend, Mae-Jin eats his breakfast, a simple fried egg and rice. Yoon must've made this one, because it's practically perfect. It makes him feel a little better. He continues eating.

He's forced out of his trance when a chair scrapes next to him. Saeyoung lounges next to him, a cup of tea in hand.

“What's got you down?” he asks, not unkindly. Mae-Jin sighs again. He figures that's how today will go. People asking him how he's doing or why he's out of it and him sighing forlornly.

“I don’t know,” he admits glumly, “everything? This whole day? Nothing’s going right today.”

Saeyoung lets out a breath. He ruffles Mae-Jin's hair.

“Tell me about it,” Saeyoung prods. A cup is placed on the table in front of Mae-Jin. Yoon says something he can't quite hear.

“Drink something too,” Yoon instructs, sliding the cup closer to Mae-Jin. Holding back an irritated sigh, he picks up the cup and takes a sip. It's coffee.

“I messed up badly,” Mae-Jin admits. Saeyoung raises an eyebrow.

“How do you figure?” he counters.

“I gave In-Soo an anxiety attack.”

“You opened the door and said, ‘Here, have a anxiety attack!’? Maeji, I'm not going to say you had nothing to do with it, but it’s not your fault. You had no idea it would happen, right?”

Mae-Jin rolls his eyes. Of course Saeyoung would find something that contradicts what Mae-Jin’s feelings of guilt are telling him.

“But I still _caused_ it!” Mae-Jin argues, his voice subconsciously raising. Saeyoung narrows his eyes. He takes the cup of coffee in front of Mae-Jin and chugs it in a single drink. All while keeping eye contact with him.

“Is it your fault I just drank your coffee?”

“No?”

“Then it’s not your fault about the anxiety attack,” Saeyoung declares.

“That's different! In-Soo could've seriously gotten hurt!”

“Fucking hell, Maeji. What do you want me to tell you? That you're an unobservant shit bucket? Because you're not. You messed up, sure, but you're not scum of the earth for that. All you have to do is apologize and do better,” Saeyoung lectures sternly.

Mae-Jin looks down at his lap. Shame rises in him. His eyes sting and he's afraid that he may cry.

“I'm sorry,” he mutters. A sigh is Saeyoung’s only response.

“Maeji, scoot closer,” Saeyoung instructs softly. Mae-Jin moves his chair closer to Saeyoung. He's enveloped in a warm hug.

Mae-Jin lets out a tired breath and relaxes into it.

“I love you, you twerp,” Saeyoung whispers.

Mae-Jin blinks the tears away.

“Love you too,” he replies.

Saeyoung lets him go and ruffles his hair. All Mae-Jin can do is frown at him.

“Asshole,” he tacks on. Saeyoung laughs.

“I'll go get you some more coffee,” he declares, “Yoon, make sure he only has one cup.”

Yoon salutes jokingly as Saeyoung walks away. Mae-Jin rests his arms on the table, using them as a pillow. Yoon remains silent until Saeyoung sets the coffee down in front as Mae-Jin and walks out of the cafeteria.

“Maeji,” Yoon starts, “when was your last full night of rest? I mean, actually sleeping through the night.”

Mae-Jin shrugs, “Probably before I left for, y'know. But I've been sleeping. I just wake up in the middle of the night, and it's hard to fall back asleep.”

Yoon huffs, his usually cheerful and casual expression growing dark.

“That was in December, Maeji. And don’t think I don't know about your shoulder,” Yoon mentions angrily. Mae-Jin tenses. How does he know about that? Mae-Jin didn't tell him.

“How?”

“You've been flinching every time someone touches it. What happened? Was it Rika?”

“Not here, Yoon,” Mae-Jin hisses between his teeth, before sighing, “I'll tell you tonight. Come to my room when you're done with your shift.”

Yoon's eyes narrow, but he nods. He stands up.

“I've got to get back to work. I better see you for lunch _and_ dinner,” he warns before walking back to the kitchen. Mae-Jin sighs and drinks his coffee.

Once he's finished, Mae-Jin heads back to his room. Advisor Sung-ki stands next to his door, looking furious. Dread floods Mae-Jin. Of course Sung-ki wouldn't accept him taking a day to rest, no matter how tired or sick Mae-Jin is.

“Your Highness,” he begins dryly, barely concealing his irritation, “what’s the meaning of this?”

Mae-Jin resists the urge to roll his eyes. Why couldn’t it have been Dahee or Sora? They’re the understanding ones. But no. Instead, he gets Sung-ki.

“I’m sorry, Advisor. I’m not feeling good today,” Mae-Jin answers honestly.

“So then, go see Lili after our meeting,” Sung-ki retorts coldly.

Mae-Jin seethes.

“Advisor,” Mae-Jin forces himself not to sound as angry as he is, “I’m not going to any meetings today. That’s final.” He walks past Sung-ki and slams the door shut, locking it.

Ignoring the angry knocking, Mae-Jin lays down on his bed. He closes his eyes. He turns to face the wall. He can hear muffled talking on the other side. In-Soo must’ve been released. He strains to hear the conversation.

“Are you sure you’re up to go into town tomorrow?” That must be Kyo. There’s a quiet response. Mae-Jin hates that he can’t hear the reply. It’s probably shameful to eavesdrop of them, but he’s been dying for any indication of how In-Soo’s been since this morning.

“Right, right.” There’s a pause. “So, what are your thought on the prince?”

Mae-Jin freezes as if he was encased in ice. That’s what he wants to know! There’s a quiet sigh. Mae-Jin’s heart beats rapidly, like a bird trying escape from its cage. Is that a good sigh? There’s a long, tense silence. He grows more afraid of the answer he might hear. He takes a deep breath as the anticipation builds in him.

“I don’t dislike him,” Mae-Jin overhears. Oh thank goodness. In-Soo doesn’t hate him! Mae-Jin doesn’t know why he’s so relieved, but he is. And that burst of relief is enough to make this day get off his ten ten worst days. Kyo laughs in response.

“I’m sure he’d be glad to hear that!” He is.

“Why?”

“His Highness felt really guilty about the whole thing! But it’s neither of your faults, so you’re not allowed to feel guilty that he does,” Kyo declares loudly, as if he knows that Mae-Jin’s listening. He probably does.

Mae-Jin turns away from the wall. He has a few hours before he needs to be anywhere. And he’s exhausted. He opens his eyes to grab the blanket get wrap it around himself. He closes his eyes again, comforted by the quiet conversation not even 10 feet away from him. Slowly, Mae-Jin is lulled to sleep.

When Mae-Jin next opens his eyes, it’s much darker in his room. He looks at the small clock on his desk, squinting to see the time. It’s after 5. Oh, shit. He slept for for at least 6 hours. Yoon is not going to be happy that he missed lunch.

At the thought of food, Mae-Jin’s stomach growls persistently, almost twisting in pain. Alright, he guesses he might as well go eat now.

Yawning, Mae-Jin sits up, stretching his arms over his head. A burst of pain shoots through his shoulder. Damn, it might be even worse than he thought. Maybe he should have Lili look at it. No- she’d ask him how he hurt it.

Pushing his shoulder out of his mind, he stands up and leaves his room. As he’s about to go down the hall, he hears In-Soo’s door open and close. Mae-Jin looks over. In-Soo’s standing there, his face twisted with anxiety.

“In-Soo! How are you?” The question leaves him before he realizes. In-Soo tenses up before he realizes that Mae-Jin is the one who asked.

“O-oh! I’m fine. Are you heading to the cafeteria?” In-Soo’s voice trembles as he asks the question.

“Yup! Are going there too?”

“Mhm,” In-Soo hums. Mae-Jin smiles.

“Would you like to walk with me?”

In-Soo freezes mid-step. He looks surprised.

“Um, sure?”

“Great!” Mae-Jin beams at the other man. In-Soo offers a small smile in return. It’s shaky and hesitant, but it’s still a smile.

Mae-Jin quite likes the look of In-Soo’s smile.

Since Mae-Jin knows the path to the cafeteria by heart, he instead pays attention to In-Soo. He's still quiet and nervous, but Mae-Jin’s beginning to think that might just be his default emotion.

“Um,” In-Soo starts nervously, “I'm sorry about this morning, Your Highness.”

Mae-Jin turns around to face him.

“In-Soo, you don’t need to apologize for that. If anyone needs to be sorry, it's me.”

“But-”

“I'm serious. I truly am sorry for this morning, In-Soo,” Mae-Jin apologizes, looking In-Soo in the eye.

In-Soo’s mouth parts and his eye widen. A moment later, he takes a deep breath, closing his eyes.

“Your Highness,” he pauses, his voice thick with emotion, “I- I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

In-Soo nods, wiping at his eyes. “Okay.”

They walk to the cafeteria together. In-Soo's quiet, listening intently as Mae-Jin talks about nothing and everything. He's in the middle of telling In-Soo about when he first met Saeyoung when they reach the doors to the cafeteria.

When they enter, most of the tables are filled. Mae-Jin looks around. He can't see Yoon anywhere, but that doesn't mean much since Yoon is omnipresent when it comes to his cafeteria. Mae-Jin finds a mostly empty table and sits down. In-Soo sits down next to him. The two other guards at the table raise their eyebrows but say nothing.

“Um, shouldn't we get our food, Your Highness?” In-Soo asks quietly.

“In a second. I'm waiting for someone,” Mae-Jin tells him.

As predicted, almost as soon as Mae-Jin’s finished speaking, Yoon bursts through the kitchen doors and stalks over to them

“Mae-Jin Li, I said lunch _and_ dinner,” he hisses. In-Soo stares at him in some kind of surprise.

Mae-Jin smiles at him. “Sorry, I was asleep.”

Yoon huffs, but his glare grows less intense. He shifts his gaze to In-Soo. Instantly, his anger melts away, as if it weren't there to begin with.

“I'm glad you're better. Everyone was worried that you got hurt,” he mentions casually, sending Mae-Jin a _look_. He gets the message loud and clear.

“Oh, um, thank you,” In-Soo mumbles, looking down.

“You're welcome. So what'll it be for you, In-Soo?”

“Oh, I can get it, it's fine,” In-Soo deflects. He starts to flush, not used to Yoon's full attention. Mae-Jin almost feels bad, but he knows what he says will be ignored.

Yoon smiles. Mae-Jin sighs, slightly shaking his head.

“It’s fine. I'm already going to get Mae-Jin’s dinner, so I might as well get yours too,” he argues, authoritatively.

“I,” In-Soo trails off, “I'm not sure what I want, though. I don't want to bother you with that.”

“I'll just get you what I'm getting Maeji. Does that work for you?”

“I guess so. Thank you,” In-Soo agrees half heartedly. Yoon sends one last smile in their direction before walking back to the kitchen, already calling out orders to the staff.

Once he’s out of sight, In-Soo slumps down, resting his head on his arms. Mae-Jin sends him a sympathetic smile.

“It’s probably easier if you don’t argue with him when he's like this,” Mae-Jin cautions. In-Soo sighs. He turns his head to look at Mae-Jin with his eyes narrowed. He’s frowning slightly. Besides this morning, this is the most emotion that Mae-Jin’s seen from him. Even if it’s necessarily a positive emotion, he’s still glad to have been able to see it.

“Your Highness,” one of the other guards at the table call, “we’ll be taking our leave now.” Mae-Jin turns and smiles at them. The two nod at him and In-Soo before standing and leaving the table.

The table is quiet until Yoon returns, expertly balancing two steaming bowls on a tray. He sets them down and places one in front of In-Soo, who sits up and mumbles a, “Thank you.” Yoon smiles at him and sits down next to Mae-Jin. He pushes the other bowl in front of Mae-Jin.

“Eat,” he orders.

Mae-Jin eats. So does In-Soo. Around them, the noise of the cafeteria fades into the background. Mae-Jin finishes the meal quickly, leaving no scraps. He rests his head on his hands, drained now that he’s not hungry anymore.

“Thanks Yoon,” he yawns. Yoon leans against him in response.

“Why are you yawning? I thought you took a nap,” he accuses jokingly. Mae-Jin shrugs. He absentmindedly touches his shoulder to see if it still hurts. The jolt of sharp pain that shoots through him answers that question. He tries to mask his gasp of pain with a yawn, but Yoon’s angered expression and In-Soo’s concerned glance tells him that he failed completely.

“Are you hurt, Your Highness?” In-Soo asks, quietly. Yoon narrows his eyes, clearly waiting to see if Mae-Jin’s going to lie.

“I’m fine, In-Soo. It’s just a little sore a little sore from when we sparred yesterday. But-”

“You sparred with your shoulder being messed up?” Yoon asks quietly furious. If Yoon wasn’t going to yell him before, he certainly is now. Mae-Jin cringes at the idea.

“Your shoulder was already hurt, Your Highness? Why did we spar then?”

Mae-Jin sighes, glaring at Yoon. He just had to mention it around In-Soo, didn’t he?

“It’s fine In-Soo. It’s not that bad,” he lies, “and we sparred so I could see your combat abilities. My shoulder didn’t matter.”

“Maeji,” Yoon warns coldly.

“Yoon,” Mae-Jin returns, just as cold.

The previous silence turns tense as Yoon shoots up and stalks away, obviously fuming. Mae-Jin sighs, dragging a hand through his hair.

“I- I’m sorry I asked,” In-Soo apologizes quietly. Mae-Jin takes a deep breath. He turns his head to look at In-Soo. He’s looking down and tapping his fingers against the table. His leg is bouncing. He looks like a moment away from curling into an anxious ball, not that Mae-Jin blames him.

“It's fine, In-Soo. That's technically part of your job, asking if I'm hurt or whatever,” Mae-Jin admits grudgingly.

In-Soo’s face changes, in that instant. He looks up, and his frown is more pronounced, angry even. His eyes are narrowed, and he's staring, for the first time, unflinchingly and unapologetically at Mae-Jin.

“You should've told me, Your Highness. If I'm supposed to protect you in the future, then you need to be honest with me. You wouldn't have needed to tell me why,” In-Soo full on lectures him.

Mae-Jin’s blown away at this side of In-Soo. He’s being scolded, but he can't bring himself to feel guilty or angry when In-Soo’s actually emoting and not caring that he’s speaking to a prince. If anything, Mae-Jin’s proud. He can’t help the proud smile that blooms across his face. He stops hearing the lecture. A feeling of surprising warmth spreads from his heart.

“Are you even listening? Your Highness!”

Mae-Jin snaps back from his mind. In-Soo’s looking at him. He still looks angry.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” Mae-Jin laughs. “I was just so proud that you're telling me off like you should!

“What?”

“You're right! I should have told you. I know I messed up, but I'm proud that you didn't treat me like I'm some kind of faultless entity,” Mae-Jin grins at him.

In-Soo goes red, as if he just remembered who he lectured. The angry look melts away, replaced by embarrassment. He slumps over, hiding his face under his hands. A moment later, he moves his hands away. He looks as if he accepted death in that moment.

“I'm sor-”

“Don't be. I'm probably going to get the same lecture from Yoon later, anyways,” Mae-Jin interrupts.

In-Soo lets out a deep breath. Then another and another. After few more, his face returns to the passive neutral expression that Mae-Jin has a feeling he'll have to get used to.

“I should be getting back to Kyo. We still need to plan out tomorrow,” In-Soo excuses himself. Mae-Jin smiles at him.

“Okay, have fun In-Soo. Also, if you go into town, I suggest eating at Mundok’s,”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Mae-Jin watches In-Soo walk out of the cafeteria. He’s not sure how to describe what he feels about In-Soo. There’s some part of him, for whatever reason, that desperately wants In-Soo to like him.

Mae-Jin sits there for a while longer, thinking. He knows he’ll be in meetings most of the day tomorrow, so he doesn’t have to deal with Kyung-ja or, even worse, Hyun potentially finding out about his shoulder. Depending on how tonight goes, it might not even matter.

Mae-Jin begins to hyper fixate on his future conversation with Yoon. If it comes down to it, would Yoon even listen to an official order if it came from Mae-Jin? He’s been lucky so far that he’s been able to talk them out of telling his parents, but if Yoon or the others know how bad his shoulder is, will they listen? Terror creeps up his spine. Nausea overtakes him.

He forces the thoughts away. It’s no use worrying about it now.

Mae-Jin stands up and leaves the cafeteria.

He walks back to his room, passing the gardens on the way.  He squashes the temptation to hide away in them all night.

When he gets back to his room, Yoon leans against his door, frowning. Mae-Jin has to stop himself from running away. Why’s he here so early? He usually doesn’t end his shift until around 9. Panic courses through every crevice of Mae-Jin.

“Yoon, you’re early,” he comments quietly, clearing his throat.

“Yeah, well, I found out that you were being a fucking idiot,” Yoon retorts. Mae-Jin sighs in resignation. He opens the door and enters the room. Yoon follows him. He turns on the light on the way in.

“Maeji, show me your shoulder,” Yoon instructs quietly. Sighing, Mae-Jin removes his shirt. He can’t help but look away from Yoon’s horrified stare. He already knows what it looks like. Fading bruises dance across his shoulder and arm in ugly greens and yellows. The worst of it is still a sickeningly blue purple from where she hit him repeatedly with her cane.

“Why-” Mae-Jin looks up abruptly; Yoon’s eye are filled with unshed tears. “Why do you let her hurt you?”

“Yoon, I-”

“Don’t you dare lie to me either. If you won’t let me tell your parent, then,” Yoon pauses, angrily wiping his eyes, “you owe me the truth, Mae-Jin.”

“If she takes her anger out on me when I’m there, that’s one week that Tetora and Sangwoo are safer,” Mae-Jin admits quietly. A quiet sob is all he gets before Yoon pulls him into a tight hug, avoiding his left arm. Mae-Jin hugs him back gently.

“I can’t deal with this anymore,” Yoon sobs against him, “I can’t deal with not knowing how hurt you’ll be when you get back.” Mae-Jin lightly rests his head on Yoon’s. He

“I know; I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“Don’t fucking apologize for that bitch,” Yoon snarls. Mae-Jin sighs. He strokes Yoon’s hair softly. He knows he should be sadder or angrier than he is, but the only thing he feels about this right now is a numbness that chills his core.

Once Yoon stops crying, he pulls away from Mae-Jin. He takes something out of his pocket.

“It’s ointment and bandages. I know you won’t go to Lili for this, so this is my compromise,” Yoon explains quietly.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. If you want to thank me, tell your parents before you go there again.”

“I- I’ll try.”

“I love you, you dumb self-sacrificing asshole.”

“I love you too, Yoon.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In-Soo and Kyo hit the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for anxiety attacks and mentions of injury

In-Soo

In-Soo can’t sleep. He doesn’t know why. It’s not that he’s alone or nervous; in fact, for the first time since yesterday, he’s not anxious or waiting for death to come. Kyo’s pressed up against his side, snoring softly, with his cheek pressed In-Soo’s hair. While it’s usually comforting, right now, all it does is make him more aware of the fact that, despite it being early January, the room is too hot- too suffocating. 

Maybe, it’s feeling too far away from others, which isn’t that true, but there’s a difference being room neighbors and sharing a room with about 10 other people. Or, maybe, the bed is too soft for someone who’s used to beds just above the worst quality. Or, maybe, it’s because he can hear Prince Mae-Jin quietly sobbing in the next room. 

Part of him, the part that cares for others more than himself, is tempted to try and cheer up the prince, but that would require actually getting up and going to him. In-Soo sighs quietly. He resigns himself to the fate that he’s stuck here until morning. He’ll have to just pretend he didn’t hear anything. That’s what Kyo would tell him to do. Listen without meddling. 

He hears the prince’s door open and shut. A few moments later, footsteps pass their room, fading in the distance. In-Soo can’t take laying there anymore. He gets up as gently as he can. 

In-Soo pauses at the door. What if Kyo wakes up while he’s gone? 

Conflicting emotions rise in him. This isn’t Poseong, where everyone cries at night because it’s hell on earth. If the prince was sobbing, something must be wrong. It probably has something to do with the aforementioned shoulder injury. Making up his mind, In-Soo leaves the room. He owes it to His Highness to try and help. After all, despite knowing In-Soo for less than 24 hours, he showed more kindness than a lot of people he’s known for years. His Highness cared enough to actually listen to In-Soo while he was having the anxiety attack. 

In-Soo starts to head in the direction he heard the footsteps. A guard clears their throat. He stops to look at them.

“I’m assuming you’re following Mae-Jin,” they comment.

“Yes,” In-Soo agrees. In the dim light, the guard sighs, rubbing their neck. 

“He’s going to the gardens. Do you know why he’s upset?” they ask, growing more serious. They rest their hand on their sheathed sword.

“No, I don’t. I just want to see if I can help somehow,” In-Soo answers honestly. The guard hums and nods, returning to their post.

In-Soo hurries to the gardens, nodding at any guards he passes. They all seem to understand what he’s trying to do. He’s grateful for that. 

In-Soo finally reaches the gardens without any trouble. His Highness sits on the patio that overlooks it. It’s a simple wood deck that hangs a few feet over the ground with a small set of stairs leading down. In-Soo watches him closely as he makes his way to stand behind him. He’s washed pale in the moonlight; all of his features softer, more delicate than he’s been believing them to be.

“Your Highness,” he whispers softly. Prince Mae-Jin jumps, turning to look at him. Even in the dim light, it’s obvious that he’s been crying. He wipes his eyes, pointedly avoiding making eye contact. He clears his throat.

“How did you figure out I was here?” he asks, hoarsely. His voice is thick with emotion, almost as if he was still crying when In-Soo spoke up.

“I heard you leave. And the guard outside our rooms told me that you were heading here,” In-Soo answers. The prince sighs heavily, but he makes no moves to get up.

“I’m fine, In-Soo. Thank you for coming to check up on me. You should go back to bed.” Prince Mae-Jin smiles sadly. 

“I- Your Highness-” In-Soo takes a deep breath. “-be honest with me. Were you crying just now?”

Prince Mae-Jin laughs bitterly. It’s a complete reversal of how the prince has acted since In-Soo’s met him. He had begun to think that His Highness wasn’t capable of feeling the negative emotions that so often consumed In-Soo and pulled him down into an unending ocean of pain.

It causes In-Soo sadness to realize otherwise. He’s not sure why.

“Yeah, I was,” Prince Mae-Jin relents truthfully.

Taking a deep breath, In-Soo sits next to him. He ignores the surprised gasp next to him.

“What about?”

“I,” the prince trails off, “I can’t tell you right now.”

“Okay,” In-Soo acknowledges before adding, “Do you want me to leave?”

The prince sighs softly. 

“No,” he admits. 

“Then I’ll stay, Your Highness,” In-Soo vows. He’s unsure why, but it feels heavier than it should. It feels more long-term than a simple promise to stay and comfort someone sad.

“Thank you, In-Soo,”  the prince whispers.

A soft silence wafts in between them, peaceful and melancholy. In-Soo watches silently as His Highness stares out at the garden, unmoving. Slowly, he begins to relax. 

A while later, In-Soo starts when Prince Mae-Jin slumps against him. He takes three deep breaths to shake himself from panic.

“Your Highness?”

The only response is soft breathing. In-Soo takes a deep breath. The prince is asleep.  He's unsure of how to feel. One hand, this means that His Highness didn't disregard his aversion to touching, but on the other, In-Soo now has to deal with a sleeping prince. Should he wake him? Or try to somehow carry him back to his room?

In-Soo sighs. If he did that, there's no way he wouldn't be noticed. 

"Um, Your Highness?"

There's no response.

"Prince Mae-Jin?" He tries again, a little bit louder. There's still no response. 

"Mae-Jin!" In-Soo whisper-yells in the prince's ear. This time, the prince makes a noise. Slowly, he sits up, looking around groggily.

“In-Soo,” he yawns, “did I fall asleep?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” In-Soo hopes that the prince doesn’t realize that he called him by his name. Even if he doesn’t seem to mind if others use it, In-Soo’s still unsure about how His Highness feels about new people using it. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess we should head back now, huh,” Prince Mae-Jin remarks softly.

“I suppose,” In-Soo agrees, almost feeling reluctant. The prince sighs, getting to his feet. Again, he notices that he’s favoring his right arm. This time though, concern sweeps through him. The temptation to ask about steadily rises until he has to bite his lip to keep the question from spilling. 

In-Soo stands and begins to follow the prince. Their walk back is silent. A strange feeling washes over the two of them. It’s the sort that can only be felt in the recesses of night. In-Soo doesn’t know how to put the feeling into words. The closest memory to this was a decade ago, the first night he spent sobbing in Kyo’s arms, trembling with rage. 

It’s terrifying to think about.

“In-Soo,”

In-Soo snaps out of his thoughts, They’re already at their rooms.

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” the prince pauses, “for sitting with me.”

In-Soo musters up the gentlest smile he can, “You’re welcome.”

He watches Prince Mae-Jin walk into his room before doing the same. He squints into the darkness. Kyo’s still asleep, softly snoring. In-Soo carefully lays back down. He tries his best to avoid waking him.

Sleep comes much easier now. Almost as soon as In-Soo closes his eyes and wraps his arms around Kyo, he falls asleep, basking in the warmth and comfort of another living person.

In-Soo’s dreams are restless as he runs around Poseong, looking desperately for something. He spots it in a crowd of people that wear Madam Eunji’s face. The dream dissolves, and In-Soo’s staring at Kyo’s sleeping form.

He sits up, shaking Kyo’s shoulder softly. There’s a tired grumble, and moments later, he sits up. 

“I’m up, I’m up,” Kyo yawns, sitting up. He rests his head on In-Soo’s shoulder. 

“Good,” In-Soo murmurs softly, patting Kyo’s back. 

Kyo hums thoughtfully, pulling away from In-Soo after a moment. He narrows his eyes, scrutinizingly.

“Where did you go last night?” he asks curiously. In-Soo knew this question was coming. 

“I heard His Highness crying last night before leaving his room. I went to see if he was okay,” In-Soo answers. Kyo nods, stretching his arms over his head. 

The subject is dropped as the two get dressed, hopefully for the last time, in the clothes they brought with them from Poseong. In-Soo checks the poach holding all the money he’s saved throughout his years working for Madam Eunji. It’s not that much compared to even just one check from the palace, but it would’ve fed him for a week back in Poseong. 

As In-Soo looks up, another poach falls onto the bed next to him.

“What’s this?”

“Did you think you’re the only person who saved money? Add mine to the total,” Kyo laughs.

“Gotcha.” In-Soo counts the money. It’s a lot more than he expected. There are almost 1000 dollars in Kyo’s poach alone.

“Um, what the fuck?” he asks. Kyo shrugs. 

“I’ve been saving for longer than you have. Also, Eunji gave me some.”

Cold washes over In-Soo. She gave money to Kyo, but not him? Not the boy who worked for her for over a decade? 

“Why didn’t she give anything to me?” 

Kyo sighs, sitting next to In-Soo. “Would you have accepted it, In-Soo? That’s why she gave it to me. It’s for both of us,” he explains softly.

In-Soo exhales as the bitter cold that had just swept through him vanishes. He leans against Kyo. 

“Okay, I understand now,” he relents. Kyo kisses his hair.

“Let’s go.”

The two leave the room. In-Soo grips the pouch tightly, deathly afraid to even let his grip slip and risk the chance of dropping it. He can’t help but glance at His Highness’s door as they pass it. He briefly wonders how the prince is doing. They continue past the room.

The walk out of the castle is nerve-wracking. Even though the two of them got permission from the Queen and King themselves, it still feels a little like they’re sneaking out. In-Soo focuses on Kyo as they move through the gate. He reassures himself that everything will be fine if he focuses on one thing instead of inviting trouble by looking guilty.

“Are you good, In-Soo?” Kyo asks quietly.

“Yeah,” In-Soo mumbles, “Just feels weird.”

“We’re fine. Remember, Queen Yue gave us her full permission.”

“I know that. It’s just weird to be able to leave like this,” In-Soo shoots back. Not two seconds later, Kyo drapes an arm over his shoulders. 

“Yeah,” he agrees, “it is. I keep expecting those damn patrol asses to jump out of the bushes.”

In-Soo nods, taking Kyo's arm off his shoulder and holding on to it. 

They walk out of the castle, holding each other. When they pass the final gate, In-Soo exhales. The excitement begins to settle in his bones as he breathes in the fresh air. To his complete and utter joy, there's not even a hint of salt in the air. 

As the two of them walk into town, In-Soo grows more and more excited. The streets and sidewalks are spacious and there are no signs of people lying sick and hungry on the benches or in the alleys.

The atmosphere is a lot more welcoming. In-Soo doesn't feel the target on his back like he usually does. He can't see the shadows in his peripheral anymore. He notes the absence of vicious whispers.

Kyo relaxes next to him. He leans against In-Soo, holding his hand lightly. The few people out and about pay them no mind. 

“Where should we go first?” In-Soo asks. 

“Hmmm, let's find somewhere to eat. I'm starving,” Kyo laughs, swinging his arm. 

“Alright; I heard about this cafe from the prince. I think it’s called ‘Mundok’s,’” In-Soo suggests. Kyo hums, looking around. 

“I’ll go ask where that is.” He lets go of In-Soo’s arm and bounds off to one of the people outside a storefront. In-Soo watches him closely as Kyo gestures cheerfully. At one point, he points at In-Soo. He waves in response. Kyo’s smile is cheery and bright. It’s one that In-Soo hasn’t seen in years.

He can’t help the grin that spreads across his face. It’s been too long. An emotion he can't name wells up in him, and tears prick the corner of his eyes. Is this what it’s like to not have to live with the very real possibility that you could be killed or imprisoned for even the tiniest of offenses if Tae-wook pleased? Is this feeling hope?

Two minutes later, Kyo returns, arms full of flowers. In-Soo stares at him, incredulously.

“What?”

“Why do you have all of those flowers?” 

“Oh, these? They had too much and decided to give them to me,” Kyo explains, tucking a stem behind his ear. A blossom peeks out of his hair. 

“I see. What are we gonna do with them?”

Kyo shrugs, “I dunno. We’ll figure something out. Anyways, let’s go. They said that his cafe restaurant thing is only a few blocks away. And that his food is the best in the kingdom.”

The two head off in the direction given to them. A few minutes later, they find it. It’s a light brown building with a cozy looking entrance. The sign above the door reads, “Rest and Respite.” It seems warm, and In-Soo’s drawn to it for some reason.

They walk in. 

A friendly looking person greets them. “Hello, welcome to Rest and Respite. Please find a seat and we’ll be with you in a few moments.”

“Sure thing.” Kyo smiles at them. “In-Soo where do you want to sit?”

“Anywhere’s fine,” he replies, resisting the urge to yawn. 

Kyo drags him to the bar and plops down on one of the bar stools. In-Soo sits next to him. He lays his arms down on the bar, using them as pillows. 

“What, are you tired or something?” Kyo asks with a laugh. In-Soo glares at him, half-heartedly. 

“Uh, yeah. I’m exhausted. If you recall, in the last week, I quit working for Eunji, traveled to a city across the kingdom, and got a job as a guard. It’s a little tiring, Kyo, and not all of us are blessed with your everlasting energy,” In-Soo playfully teases. 

Kyo scoffs in indignation. “Excuse me? Unlike you, Lord Night Owl, I have a sleep schedule.” 

His smile is bright. Unlike, most of the smiles In-Soo’s gotten in the past year, this one reaches his eyes. It’s enchanting.

While In-Soo’s distracted by Kyo, a tall old man walks up to them from behind the counter. He clears his throat. In-Soo jumps, looking up at him. He looks gruff like he’s just perpetually done with everyone’s bullshit. 

“What can I getcha today?” His voice is accented. In-Soo can’t quite place it.

“We’ll start with some coffee,” Kyo answers confidently. He nods, squinting at In-Soo suspiciously. In-Soo freezes. He hadn’t been doing anything wrong, but he feels like he should apologize for something.

“D-did I do something wrong, sir?” he asks, timidly. The old man blinks, before turning and yelling the order into the kitchen.

“Ah, no. I’m sorry. You just look mighty familiar. Are you related to Saeyoung Ryu?”

It’s In-Soo’s turn to blink. “Not that I’m aware of?”

“But, we do know him,” Kyo interjects. 

“I take it you two are the new hires?”

“Yeah; how’d you know?” In-Soo asks. At that, the old man smiles. Depending on who you ask, it could be either extremely comforting or extremely terrifying. For In-Soo, it’s the latter. He swallows his fear back.

“Well, for starters,” he pauses, getting the coffee mugs from the little window behind him and setting them on the table in front of Kyo and In-Soo, “this is your first time here. Not to mention, Saeyoung comes here nearly every day. He's mentioned y’all.”

“Oh,” is all the two of them could say. 

In-Soo takes a sip of his coffee. He’s beginning to think everyone in the capital is a master chef. This coffee somehow makes him feel warm and cozy? 

“So, how’d you like the coffee?” There’s a hint of smug satisfaction in his voice.

“How? Do you have a coffee wizard back there?” In-Soo asks incredulously. The old man laughs. He seems a little less frightening. 

“I got someone better than a damn wizard,” he boasts.

“Mundok,” someone chides through the window into the kitchen, “stop bullying the customers!”

“I’m not bullying them, Yona, I was just getting a read on them,” he argues back. 

In-Soo can only watch dumbfounded as someone stalks out of the kitchen. She’s almost as small as In-Soo himself. Besides height, there’s a lot about her that reminds him of himself. For starters, her hair color, besides the graying parts, is only a few shades apart from his. She turns to look at him. Her eyes widen.

“Soo-ah,” she breathes. In-Soo recoils at that name. Kyo’s standing behind him, hands on his shoulder and back, making sure he doesn’t fall. 

“How do you know that name?” Kyo snarls. The woman flinches. Mundok stands in front of her, his mouth drawn out in a deep frown. 

Behind Kyo, someone clears their throat. The person from before stands a little behind Kyo with their arms crossed. They’re glaring at him.

“Calm down, Mundok. You too, Guen,” she orders authoritatively.  Mundok steps away from her. In-Soo’s staring at her, trying to discern how she knows that- that demon. 

“Kyo, I’m fine,” he relents after a moment. Kyo pats his arm, but he doesn’t move from behind In-Soo.

“Get them some food, Mundok. I’ll pay. We need to discuss this,” she says, surprisingly kind.

“No, it’s fine. We’ll pay for it,” In-Soo retorts, narrowing his eyes. Mundok sighs before walking into the kitchen. Guen moves to the corner of the room. Kyo sits down next to In-Soo, still glaring. This Yona person walks up to the bar. She places her hands on the counter top.

“I’m Yona- Soo-ah’s half-sister.”

In-Soo stares at her. There’s no way. He had family all this time. Someone who could’ve taken him in. Everything he went through- it could’ve been avoided. Breathing becomes harder. He looks over at Kyo, who looks as shocked as he feels. His glare intensifies.

“You’re sisters?” Kyo asks quietly. 

“In biology only,” Yona clarifies, “I haven’t spoken to her in over twenty years. I didn’t even know she had children.”

“Just the one,” Kyo spits out, “but that doesn’t even count.”

In-Soo cringes, nausea rising in his throat. 

“What do you mean?”

“She abandoned me,” In-Soo whispers. It’s the first time he’s acknowledged it in years. Back in Poseong, he just called himself an orphan. 

Yona closes her eyes and exhales. She clenches her first, shaking with some emotion. After a minute, she opens her eyes. They’re steely. 

“No wonder you reacted that way,” she comments dryly. Taking a deep breath, she places her hand on the bar; her palm faces upward. 

“I’m truly sorry for the hardships brought upon you by my family,” she apologizes, bowing her head.

“If,” In-Soo takes a deep breath, “If you had known, would you have taken me in?”  

Yona sighs. “I wouldn’t have been able to for quite a few years, but I would’ve sent Saeyoung to make sure you were safe.”

“You’re his mom, aren’t you?” Kyo asks. At that, she smiles.

“Yes, I am.”

Kyo nods. 

“What’re your names?” she asks. 

“In-Soo,” he answers. She hums softly.

“Kyo,” Kyo adds, still distrusting. She nods at him. 

Mundok brings out steaming plates and sets them in front of In-Soo and Kyo. He gently touches Yona’s hand. She smiles at him sadly.

“Go ahead, you two. Eat.”

They eat. When they’re finished, In-Soo pays, and they leave after Yona promises that she’ll explain everything soon. 

In-Soo leans against the back wall of a nearby building. Kyo sits next to him with his legs crossed. He has no idea how to feel. How is it possible that he had an aunt here the entire time? All this time, he stayed in Poseong because he thought he was alone. But, here he is- in the Capital, no less- meeting an aunt who would've helped him. 

In-Soo can't hold back the tears threatening to spill. All of the pain he went through was for nothing. If he had run away three years ago, like he so desperately wanted to, none of it would've happened. 

“In-Soo,” Kyo whispers, resting his head on In-Soo’s leg, “it’s not your fault.”

“But if we left-” In-Soo screws his eyes shut and takes a deep breath “- if we left, none of those things would've happened.”

“How could we have left if you didn't know about her? Do you think Eunji would've let you leave without knowing how you would survive?”

“I,” In-Soo trails off. He slides down into a sitting position.

He leans against Kyo heavily. 

“There’s no changing the past, In-Soo. As hard and horrible as everything was there, do you think you’d be the same person without going through it? In-Soo, you may not believe it, but you’re a really, really good person,” Kyo reminds him softly, pulling him down to rest his head on his lap. In-Soo sighs and closes his eyes, letting Kyo run his fingers through his hair.

A few moments later, Kyo shifts and grumbles, “Doing this on cobblestone is way less comfortable than on sand.”

In-Soo can’t help but laugh. He sits up and opens his arms wide. Kyo’s face lights up.

“Awh, hell yeah,” he cheers, resting his head on In-Soo’s lap. In-Soo laughs again. They stay like that for a while, watching as people walk by. Most people don’t give them a second glance, but there are still a few raised eyebrows that make In-Soo glare. 

“We should get going, Kyo,” In-Soo suggests softly. Honestly, he just wants to move again. He’s afraid that if he sits any longer, his legs will go numb and he’ll have to become a statue. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Kyo agrees grudgingly. He sits up slowly, stretching his arms over his head. In-Soo pushes himself up, wincing as tingles spread throughout his leg and foot.

“Alright, where to first?” he asks. Kyo hums thoughtfully.

“Well, all we need are clothes and phones. I’d say we get our clothes first; we need them more. We can always come back later for the phones,” Kyo explains.

“And, honestly,” In-Soo adds, “you’re the one who needs a phone way more than me.”

Kyo hums. “True, true. Okay, let’s go!”

They find their way to a store. It doesn’t look too high end, but honestly, as long as they’re not the clothes In-Soo’s wearing, he’d be happy with a paper bag. 

In-Soo and Kyo walk in. A shopkeeper greets them enthusiastically. Kyo smiles at them amicably. It takes a while, but they find a good selection to start with. During this time, Kyo somehow convinces In-Soo to try on a suit.

In-Soo grabs the suit and sighs. He asks the shopkeeper to use the dressing room. They agree and give him a key. He takes it and sends a half-hearted glare to Kyo. That damn brat has the gall to snicker. 

In-Soo smiles at the shopkeeper and takes the key. He stalks to the dressing room, almost slamming the door behind him. He hangs the suit on the hanger, and stares at it, trying to imagine himself in it. It’s a dark blue. 

He slowly puts it on, trying to ignore the fact that it’s the nicest thing he’s ever worn. When he’s finished smoothing out the jacket, In-Soo takes a deep breath and exits the dressing room. Kyo looks up at him from the chair next to the door. His eyes widen. He looks down quickly, muttering to himself.

“Does it look okay?” In-Soo asks. 

Kyo laughs, “I’m not gonna lie, I actually thought you were fucking hot for a second.”

In-Soo’s face grows hot. He can only imagine how red he is. And, yet, the compliment warms him.

“You don’t need to exaggerate, Kyo,” he reprimands softly.

“I’m not, though! Like, for real, you walked out, and my first coherent thought was that it’d be a crime if I don’t get you this,” Kyo laughs again. He stands up and slings an arm around In-Soo’s shoulder.

“You’re not buying me a suit,” In-Soo tells him. He wraps an arm around Kyo’s waist, resting his head on the other man’s shoulder.  

“Are you doing alright back-oh my! That suit looks fantastic on you,” the shopkeeper exclaims.

“I know right! I especially love the color on him! Do you have any other recommendations?” Kyo grins at them.

The two dive into a passionate conversation that In-Soo’s stuck in the middle of. He ducks out from Kyo’s grip and quietly returns to the dressing room to change back into his clothes. It’s almost sad to have to wear his old, ratty, torn up outfit again after wearing something decent for less than five minutes.

In-Soo emerges from the dressing room, gingerly holding the suit. He places it back on the rack. He gathers the clothes the two of them picked out and brings them up to the front desk, waiting patiently to be rung up.

On the counter, he sees a necklace in a basket. It has a very dainty chain, but the clear crystal that hangs from it is pretty sizable. As he’s staring at it, both the shopkeeper and Kyo walk up behind him. In-Soo looks behind him, a suspicious feeling creeping up on him. As he thought, Kyo holds the suit, smiling softly at him.

“You don’t need to buy it, Kyo,” he reminds him quietly. Kyo laughs softly, shaking his head.

“I know I don’t have to, but you obviously enjoyed wearing it, and you looked damn good in it too,” Kyo explains matter-of-factly.

In-Soo sighs, mentally trying to do the math in his head. 

“Ugh, fine,” he concedes, “but if it ends up being more than we can afford, I’m putting it away.”

“Deal.”

The shopkeeper smiles at him. He smiles back nervously.

“Y’know, you two remind me of someone,” they mention casually as they ring up the clothes.

In-Soo and Kyo share a look. “Who?”

“Saeyoung Ryu. Around 7 years ago, he just shows up and buys a whole new wardrobe,” they laugh. In-Soo narrows his eyes. That’s quite the coincidence.

“Interesting,” Kyo mutters quietly, bringing his hand up to bite his thumbnail. A few minutes later, the shopkeeper tells them the total. In-Soo feels his heart shrivel up. Technically, they have enough. But, only barely. With his hands shaking, In-Soo counts out the total. He hands the shopkeeper the money. They hand Kyo the bags.

“Have a good day, you two!”

“Thanks!” Kyo grins at them. 

The two leave the store. Regret strikes In-Soo as soon as he’s past the threshold. He turns to Kyo, sick to his stomach.

“Did-” He takes a deep breath. “Did we just make a huge mistake?” 

“What do you mean?”

“That suit was half the cost of everything all together. We could’ve gotten so many more important things,” In-Soo begins to ramble, his anxiety spiking. Kyo sighs, and grabs In-Soo’s hand. 

In-Soo follows as Kyo leads him to a shaded park area with a bench. He sits down and takes a deep breath. His heartbeat hammers in his chest and jumbled thoughts buzz around in his brain. It’s hard to breathe slowly.

“In-Soo, look at me, please,” Kyo instructs softly. In-Soo looks up. He kneels in front of him. The bags are next to him on the ground. The sight causes his breath to become erratic. 

“Can you tell me what’s causing this?” Kyo asks, gently prying In-Soo’s hands apart. He gives them a light squeeze. Despite the cold, his hands are warm. It grounds In-Soo, reminding him where he is. He takes a shuddering breath.

“It was too expensive, and we-we spent all our money getting it for no reason.” 

Kyo rests his head on In-Soo’s knee. “We didn’t get it for no reason. I got it because you liked it, and you deserve something you like.”

“But why do I deserve it? Kyo what have I done that deserves spending half of our very limited and very hard earned money on!?” In-Soo yells. He realizes what he did as soon as the last syllable leaves his mouth. Kyo sighs, looking at him sharply. He stands up and stares down at In-Soo. 

“In-Soo, to me, you deserve the world. This is our new life, our second chance at actually making it to our fifties. The money we spent today? We’ll make that in a week. And we can save it until we can afford everything we could ever want, but that’s not what’s important to me, In-Soo. You’re important to me, and if I want to shower you with the love you deserve and more, then so be it.”

In-Soo takes a deep breath, trying to settle the pounding of his heart. He wants to argue back just as much as he wants to just accept it.

“Well,” he begins, “I want to shower you with love and affection too!”

“Do it then,” Kyo challenges. In-Soo narrows his eyes.

“Fine! Get your ass up here!”

Kyo stands up and plops down next to In-Soo. He stares at him with a level gaze. In-Soo smiles at him before pulling him into a hug. He rests his head on Kyo’s shoulder. 

Kyo huffs, hugging him back so tightly, In-Soo can feel the breath leave him. He rests his head on top of In-Soo’s. He lets out a long breath. In-Soo can feel Kyo’s grip tighten before he feels the slight shaking of Kyo’s shoulders. He rubs Kyo’s back in small circular motions. 

“Kyo,” In-Soo whispers, “I love you; you know that, right?”

“Of course.”

“Good. So don’t hide your feelings for my sake, okay?”

Kyo takes a deep stuttering breath. 

“I- It just- I mean-” He sighs tiredly. “I don’t know how to feel. I don’t know what to do without the feeling of constantly being afraid that the wrong thing could get us hurt.”

“It’s hard,” In-Soo agrees. 

“It’s like they tell us that they won’t hurt us and want us to speak their minds, but what if they’re lying? What if we’re forced to do something, even if it’s awful? Or, if they force us to choose between each other or the job?”

“Kyo, you know you’re my choice. Every time. And, if things get bad, I’ll protect you,” In-Soo vows. Kyo laughs lightly.

“Protect me from who? A 10-year-old?”

In-Soo lets go of his back and starts tickling his sides. “Asshole!”

“Stop! I’m sorry! You’ll protect me!” Kyo laugh-cries, letting In-Soo go and jumping away from the bench. In-Soo huffs in irritation, but a soft smile blooms across his face at the sight of Kyo laughing. 

After a while, the two walk back. In-Soo carries the bag holding the suit while Kyo holds the other two, swinging them in his arms.

“I can hold more, Kyo,” In-Soo suggests.

“Nonsense,” Kyo retorts childishly. 

They make it back to the castle around mid-afternoon. When they reach the gates, In-Soo’s sees Saeyoung leaning against the wall, talking to someone. In-Soo looks down quickly. Kyo makes a curious noise but doesn’t do anything to get Saeyoung’s attention.

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to talk to them. I have to get back to work. Love you,” In-Soo hears as he passes him. Dread fills him. He doesn’t have any definite proof, but he just knows that the “them” Saeyoung promised to talk to is him and Kyo. 

They pass him without confrontation. In-Soo lets out a sigh of relief. Kyo touches his arm lightly.

“Don’t worry. Saeyoung won’t do anything. It’s not like we did anything bad,” Kyo reasons.

“But what if we offended her?” In-Soo asks quietly.

“She didn’t seem very offended when we left, did she?”

“Well, no, but-”

“In-Soo, Kyo! A word please,” Saeyoung calls from behind them. And even Kyo freezes this time, despite his earlier assurance.

The two men look at each other, their faces reflecting each other's expression of, “Oh shit, did we actually fuck up?” But, surprisingly, In-Soo recovers first.

“Yes?” He forces himself to turn and look at Saeyoung. He’s smiling softly, and his golden yellow eyes are sparkling. He looks surprisingly happy for someone who was terrifyingly serious on the phone.

“Let’s go to the cafeteria. I need to talk with you two about something.” 

In-Soo nods quickly, his dread resurfacing. Kyo holds his hand tightly. It feels like they’re about to get scolded by parents they don’t have. 

In-Soo follows Saeyoung with his head down. Kyo walks rigidly next to him. In-Soo squeezes his hand softly. They make it to the cafeteria without interruption, but In-Soo isn’t quite sure that that’s a good thing. 

He sits down across from Saeyoung, eyeing him warily. Kyo sits next to him. Saeyoung returns his gaze evenly. Then he looks down, narrowing his eyes. A moment passes. Then another. And another, until In-Soo’s silently praying for His Highness or Yoon or anyone to interrupt this.

Finally, Saeyoung looks up, smirking proudly. In-Soo’s taken aback. That… was not what he was expecting. At all. He’s not sure if he should be angry that he’s being played around with, or if he should be scared of how easily Saeyoung can get into his head and terrify him. 

“What do you need, Saeyoung?” Kyo asks quietly.

“I heard you guys met my mom,” Saeyoung begins, sounding happy, “and that In-Soo might be my cousin.”

In-Soo relaxes a smidge. He doesn’t sound angry. 

“Yeah, we did,” In-Soo confirms.

“I take it you overheard part of my conversation,” Saeyoung mentions casually. In-Soo nods. Saeyoung hums softly. 

“You two look guilty for some reason. Why?”

“We,” Kyo takes a deep breath, “feel like we might’ve been too cold to her on accident.”

“It’s my fault,” In-Soo explains at the same time, “I reacted badly to hearing my- that name.”

Saeyoung sighs deeply, running a hand through his hair. He looks at them, narrowing his eyes. In-Soo feels that he might be trying to figure something out, but he’s not sure what it could be. After a minute, Saeyoung nods to himself.

“Okay, I get it,” he tells the two of them as if it should actually mean something.

“Get what?” Kyo asks, sounding as confused as In-Soo feels.

“Basically, you’re like Maeji and feel guilty about things you shouldn't. Also, my mom wanted to know if you guys would like to come over for dinner sometime soon,” Saeyoung explains. The remaining tension dissipates. In-Soo takes a deep breath as relief washes over him. He notes the comparison to the prince, but he’s too emotionally exhausted to even care to overthink about it right now.

“Yeah, I’d like that. I want to get the chance to apologize to her in person,” In-Soo admits, almost sheepishly. Saeyoung lets out a quiet bark of laughter. His smile is gentle. 

“Hey Yoon,” he calls. A moment later, Yoon walks up, looking bored. In-Soo lays his head down on the table. He’s so tired, he could sleep right now. The quiet chatter around him is oddly comforting. It reminds him of when he was younger before he started taking clients. Before he met Kyo. He’d listen to the others talk, but not pay attention to what they were saying, to help him fall asleep. 

Slowly, In-Soo’s eyes droop closed. 

Someone’s shaking his shoulder. In-Soo opens his eyes, blinking to adjust to the sudden light. He yawns and looks at the person. It’s Saeyoung. He smiles softly and nods toward the table. In-Soo shifts his gaze. A steaming bowl of stew sits in front of him. His stomach growls at the sight.

“Oh, thank you,” he yawns.

“No problem,” Saeyoung laughs, “See you two later.”

In-Soo watches him leave the cafeteria before turning back to his stew. He digs in.

The rest of the day is spent exploring the castle and memorizing its layout. It’s mostly straightforward. Most of what In-Soo will be doing in one wing of the castle. The two exceptions are the training grounds and the meeting rooms, which are closer to the entrance of the castle.

In-Soo and Kyo sit on their bed. In-Soo watches Kyo draw, bored and tired, but not enough to sleep.

“Kyo, I’m bored,” he complains. Kyo snickers.

“Hi, bor-”

“Don’t you dare,” In-Soo warns.

“You never let me have any fun!” Kyo looks up from his drawing, pouting petulantly, like a child trapped inside of a 21-year-old body. In-Soo rolls his eyes. 

“Hey, why don’t you try on your suit again?”

In-Soo starts. “What? Why?”

Kyo grins, “Because it’s something to do. Also, if your feeling particularly bored and bold, you can get a second opinion.”

“And who the hell would I go to for that, Kyo?”

“Prince Mae-”

“No.” In-Soo considers for a moment, “But I guess I’ll try it on.”

“Victory!” Kyo cheers, throwing his hands in the air.  In-Soo rolls his eyes again but doesn’t bother to fight back the smile that accompanies it. 

In-Soo gets off the bed, stretching. His shoulders pop, and he cringes at the sound. He grabs the suit from the closet and begins to get dressed.

A few moments later, there’s a knock on the door. In-Soo freezes, aware that he’s still shirtless and of the very obvious scar spanning across one side of his back. 

“I’ll get it,” Kyo smiles. In-Soo nods, watching as Kyo jumps up and slides to the door. He opens the door.

“Oh! Your Highness, what can I do for you?”

A pause. In-Soo can faintly hear Prince Mae-Jin.

“In-Soo? He’s here. He’s just in the middle of getting dressed.”

What little of nerves that thawed freeze again. In-Soo stares at the door. 

“Sure, I’ll tell him. Actually, why don’t you wait in here? I can send In-Soo to the bathroom.” Kyo walks over to In-Soo, picks up the shirt next to him and shoves it into his arms. In-Soo nods and rushes to the bathroom. 

As soon as he closes the door, he can breathe again. While the idea of anyone seeing In-Soo even just shirtless is awful, for some reason, the idea of the prince seeing him is worse. In-Soo sighs and slips on the shirt, buttoning it quickly. 

In-Soo reaches out toward the knob on the door, pausing right before he twists it open to take a deep steadying breath. He opens the door.

Prince Mae-Jin sits on the bed, listening intently as Kyo spins a tale. He’s always been quite the storyteller, In-Soo notes with a smile. They haven’t noticed him yet, so In-Soo watches on quietly. He watches His Highness grow more enthralled with the story as Kyo ramps up the intensity. The story finishes with a flourish after a few minutes. 

In-Soo clears his throat. They both turn towards him. Kyo grins sharply, looking him over up and down. The prince, on the other hand, freezes as red splashes across his cheeks and the tips of his ears. The blush only makes Prince Mae-Jin’s features more prominent. His skin is smooth and clear. His eyes are as dark as the ocean during the late night escapades back in Poseong, but twice as blue. His lips are-

In-Soo looks away. 

“Ah, Your Highness,” he coughs, “what do you need?”

The prince clears his throat. “Well, I, um, wanted to see if you’d like to accompany me during my day tomorrow to, um, learn my schedule?” 

In-Soo blinks. He makes eye contact with Kyo, who nods slightly.

“Sure- if it wouldn’t be any trouble to you, of course,” In-Soo adds quickly.

“Oh, it’d be no trouble at all! Although, you won’t be allowed in meetings until you officially start.”

In-Soo nods. “I figured as much, Your Highness. What time should I join you?”

Prince Mae-Jin blinks as if he had been lost in thought, but he seems to quickly regain his composure as his eyes bore holes into In-Soo’s.

“Uh, I’ll be in the cafeteria around 10,” he answers, clearing his throat before adding, “Hey In-Soo, can I talk to you alone real quick?” 

Anxiety blossoms in In-Soo’s heart, but he really doesn’t have a choice but to say, “Sure.”

“I’m going to the cafeteria,” Kyo announces, “In-Soo, do you want me to save you anything?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll meet you there when I’m done.”

Kyo rests his hand on In-Soo’s shoulder and smiles softly before leaving the room. 

In-Soo walks over to the bed. He stands next to it, unsure if he should sit or not. His arms hang awkwardly at his sides. His Highness looks at the door and sighs. He presses his hands together and taps his fingers together. 

“Is it weird that I feel more nervous now that he’s left?” Prince Mae-Jin asks. His laugh is shrill and shaky. In-Soo forces back a sharp laugh. 

“He has that effect on people,” In-Soo answers, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear. 

“You don’t have to stand, you know.”

“Alright.” In-Soo sits down, watching the prince. His eyes seem to follow In-Soo’s movements. The two are quiet for a moment. In-Soo waits for the prince to speak. He glances over at him. Prince Mae-Jin takes a deep breath, and then another. He opens his mouth, presumably to say something, before snapping it back closed.

“Your Highness?”

“I, uh, just want to thank you for last night. I wasn’t expecting you to, but I do really appreciate you sitting with me,” Prince Mae-Jin admits quietly. In-Soo smiles as warmth blossoms in his heart. His Highness seems to be looking everywhere except for him. 

“You’re welcome.” In-Soo squashes the urge to reach out and touch the prince’s hand.

“In-Soo,” His Highness looks up suddenly, his eyes boring into In-Soo’s, “how’d you get that scar on your back?”

In-Soo freezes, and any warmth he felt previously vanishes as if his heart was a candle that was put out. How does Prince Mae-Jin know about that? Did he see it when In-Soo was walking into the bathroom? Did Kyo- No, Kyo would never. He must’ve seen it while In-Soo rushed to the bathroom.

“How do you know about that?” In-Soo forces through his teeth. His hands are shaking. His vision becomes blurry and In-Soo blinks furiously to get rid of the tears. 

“Lili told me.”

Those words send a spike through him. Of course. Of course, she would tell him. Why wouldn’t she? Lili’s a doctor, so of course, she would tell Prince Mae-Jin.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I,” His Highness pauses and looks down at his knees, “I want to make sure you weren’t hurt-”

In-Soo scoffs, unable to hide his bitterness any longer. In-Soo bites his lip and shakes his head. His Highness makes a startled noise. He reaches out before freezing abruptly. In-Soo glares at him. His hand drops. 

“You don’t get to say that after doing nothing to help Poseong. If you actually cared, you would have stopped Tae-wook a long time ago,” In-Soo spits out, angrily. Next to him, Prince Mae-Jin sighs. He runs a hand through his hair. His eyes are stormy. 

“How can I fix something I wasn’t aware of?” His Highness asks softly, his voice like steel. In-Soo stares disbelievingly at him. 

“You weren’t aware of any problem? So, you didn’t find it weird the owner of a brothel contacted your parents to recommend a new hire? Or when you read my file, did you not think that something was wrong when the assaults suddenly stopped? Or, maybe, by chance, did you find it the least bit odd when, hmm I don’t know, Tae-wook reports that everything’s okay but still asks for more funding? None of that made you aware that something might be wrong? Are you fucking kidding?” In-Soo yells. 

“I,” Prince Mae-Jin closes his mouth. “Actually, you know what, In-Soo? You’re right; I didn’t realize that anything was wrong from those.” 

In-Soo’s temper flares. He clenches his fist. 

“Then you’re more oblivious than I realized,” In-Soo snaps. He stands up and walks out of his room, slamming the door.

In-Soo makes it halfway to the garden before he realizes where he’s going. He can’t help the quiet bitter laugh. Is the garden where people go to cry and be alone? 

Despite the realization, In-Soo doesn’t turn back and go to the cafeteria, where Kyo’s sure to be. He sits on the small porch overlooking the garden and lets his mind go blank. It only works for ten minutes before he feels himself start to grow angry again.

How oblivious would someone have to be to not see multiple signs of corruption? In-Soo can barely believe that this is real. Is it a rich person thing? Or does nobody outside of Poseong realize how bad it is? 

In-Soo looks at the garden. He deflates after a while, too exhausted to keep the angry fire burning any longer. Guilt starts to replace the anger. He shouldn't have snapped at the prince like that. He should've let him explain. 

“In-Soo?” 

He sighs. As if his thoughts summoned him, In-Soo turns to see Prince Mae-Jin standing awkwardly a few feet away from the porch. He looks sheepish, almost apologetic in the quickly fading light. 

“Your Highness,” In-Soo remarks coldly. The prince winces slightly. In-Soo ignores the small tendril of guilt that claws at his heart. 

“I’m- I mean,” His Highness pauses, sighing, “can we talk?”

In-Soo closes his eyes. He wasn’t expecting that. The petty part of his brain tells him to ignore him, but In-Soo can’t help but notice just how sad, or maybe guilty, Mae-Jin looks. He sighs, asking, “About what, Your Highness?”

“I want to apologize about earlier. I realize how bad it sounded, especially coming from me. I-”

“I don’t want an apology, Your Highness. I want an explanation,” In-Soo retorts.

“That’s fair. Can I sit next to you?” Prince Mae-Jin asks. He hasn’t moved any closer to In-Soo. He’d probably leave if In-Soo told him to. Kyo’s words float around in his head like a stern reminder. Kyo thinks he’s a good person, so he should at least try continuing to be that person.

“Fine.” In-Soo relents, moving over to the prince room. His Highness walks over slowly. He watches In-Soo as he sits down, probably wondering if he was going to snap at him. Not that In-Soo blames him.

“Thank you,” Prince Mae-Jin say softly. He taps his knees. 

“You’re welcome.”

“Where do you want me to start?” the prince asks, looking ahead at the garden. In-Soo exhales. He looks down at his lap. There’s only one thing he wants to know.

“Why haven’t you done anything about Tae-wook?”

Mae-Jin sighs. He sounds exhausted. 

“Honestly, it’s because we didn’t know. I was under the impression that he was using the funds granted to him to expand the education programs.”

“What education programs?”

“He told me he was implementing grants that helped the poorer families to get a more secure education,” Prince Mae-Jin explains. In-Soo’s blood runs cold. He feels like he’s been encased in the coldest ice. Of course, Tae-wook would lie like that. 

“He’s lying to you. There’s only one stable school in Poseong, and it’s only for Tae-wook and his followers to use. The public school is three rooms and a few rotating teachers. Most children stop when they’re old enough to help out at the market,” In-Soo tells him quietly. 

“I,” the prince takes a deep breath, “what?” He looks shocked and angry, His mouth is a deep frown and his eyes bore straight ahead. If looks could kill, In-Soo’s problem would be solved. 

“You really had no idea?” In-Soo couldn’t stop himself from asking. His Highness turns his gaze to stare right through him. For the first time, he looks like the cold prince that In-Soo was expecting. In-Soo flinches away.

“No. I didn't.” 

“Your Highness?”

“What?” His voice is cold and angry. Nausea swirls in In-Soo’s stomach. 

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” In-Soo whispers. He’s met with silence. After a moment, the prince exhales, slowly.

“It’s fine, In-Soo. You weren’t wrong though. I should have at least had a clue I was being manipulated and lied to,” Prince Mae-Jin laughs bitterly. 

“He’s a good liar,” In-Soo admits, sick to his stomach. He forces himself to not think about what happened. Nausea rises in his throat. His hands tremble.

“I’m sorry you had to find out the hard way,” Prince Mae-Jin murmurs softly, “I’ll do what I can to help your town.”

“Prince Mae-Jin?” In-Soo can’t speak above a whisper. His throat is thick too with emotion. The prince’s eyes soften. He smiles softly before becoming somber. 

“Tomorrow, I’m going to start to go through his reports from the past few years. When I have them all, will you help me?”

“Of course, Your Highness,” In-Soo promises, barely believing his ears. Would it really be that easy? Deep down, he knows that the answer is no, but for now, In-Soo wants to hope. 

The prince smiles again, and his face lights up. In-Soo’s heart skips a beat. 

“I’m glad,” he whispers. He reaches out before putting his hands back on his lap. In-Soo appreciates it.

The two of them sit in a comfortable silence until the sky grows dark and the star twinkle in the distance. Eventually, In-Soo finds himself unable to sit still. After changing positions three times, In-Soo sighs, leaning back on his arms. 

“Is everything okay, In-Soo?”

“Sorry, I’m getting restless. It’s been a long day,” In-Soo explains.

“You know, you don’t have to just sit there,” Prince Mae-Jin laughs. In-Soo raises an eyebrow.

“Where else would you expect me to sit?” he asks.

The prince laughs harder. In-Soo feels the heat of embarrassment rise in his cheeks.

“Stop laughing! I’m serious,” In-Soo retorts, pouting. Prince Mae-Jin clears his throat, coughing to disguise a laugh. In-Soo rolls his eyes.

“I know; that’s what makes it so funny! There’s an actual bench in the garden. I just like here better because there’s more to look at. Although,” the prince pauses as his smile grows more serene, “laying in the garden at night is breathtaking.”

In-Soo observes him as he continues to speak about all the secrets of the palace. He’s so- In-Soo can’t find the exact description. Animated? The prince is animated and lively. He talks and emotes with his hands and eyes, but his posture is impeccable. 

“Did I say something weird?”

In-Soo blinks. “Hm?”

“You were looking at me strangely,” Prince Mae-Jin explains.

“Oh, sorry. I was thinking.” In-Soo stifles a yawn. He can feel himself growing more and more tired.  

“We should probably get back,” His Highness yawns. In-Soo nods slowly. 

The two stand up and walk back to their rooms. In-Soo trails behind Prince Mae-Jin. He nods as the they walk into their separate rooms.

Kyo sits on the desk chair. In-Soo wakes up a little when he sees him. He forgot about going to the cafeteria.

“Have a good time with the prince?” Kyo asks, staring holes into In-Soo. He looks angry. He’s tapping the arm of the chair, slowly and methodically. 

“I’m sorry. I- We got in an argument, and I went to the gardens to clear my head, but then His Highness came to apologize, and we discussed some things,” In-Soo explains quietly. Kyo raises an eyebrow.

“What things?”

“Tae-wook.”

Kyo freezes. He glances at the door, tensing up. A moment passes. He takes a deep breath. 

“What about him?”

“He’s been lying to them this whole time.”

“Well, that explains why they haven’t done anything yet,” Kyo sighs, resting his head on his hand, “What’s His Highness gonna do about it?”

“We’re going to start by going through his reports and go from there.”

“We?” Kyo repeats, narrowing his eyes.

“His Highness asked me to help him,” In-Soo explains quietly.

“Hm,” is the only response In-Soo gets.

That night, as In-Soo’s falling asleep, he feels Kyo curl up against him and hears the almost silent sobs. He wraps his arms around him and presses his face into his hair. In-Soo rubs his back gently. 

“It’ll be okay,” he whispers.

He falls into a fitful sleep.

When In-Soo wakes up the next morning, Kyo’s still asleep. He sits up, careful to not wake him. In-Soo brushes his hair out of his face. He presses a soft kiss to the top of Kyo’s head before getting out of the bed. 

In-Soo sits at the desk. He finds a piece of paper and starts to write. 

The words escape him. He’s already a bad writer, but writing letters is the worst. He stares at the paper. He got a whole two words in before he got stuck. Dear Eunji. In-Soo sighs and leaves the desk. In-Soo sits back down on the bed, glancing at the clock. It’s not even 7am yet. There’s still three hours before he has to meet Prince Mae-Jin. 

An idea strikes him. He should get breakfast for Kyo. Not only to make up for last night, but also because Kyo deserves it for being the best. 

In-Soo puts on a jacket and begins walking to the cafeteria. The cold morning air hits him as he steps out of his room. He pulls the jacket tighter around him, shivering. ide

“You!”

In-Soo stops and turns his head to look for the source of the voice. An older man, looking gray and withered, stands outside the prince’s room. His mouth is drawn into a deep frown. In-Soo points to himself.

“Me?”

“Yes; are you deaf?” the man snaps. In-Soo raises an eyebrow. 

“What do you need?”

“Is Mae-Jin awake yet?”

In-Soo squints at the man in confusion.

“I don’t know?”

“How could you not? You’re his guard; aren’t you?” he snaps again.

“I don’t start until next week. Sorry, I can’t help you,” In-Soo responds, beginning to walk away. 

“Who said you had permission to leave?”

In-Soo turns around, rolling his eyes. “And who said you could boss me around?”

The old man sputters unintelligibly before stalking over to In-Soo. He feels the chill of fear creep up his back. This man reminds him of-

“Ah, Advisor Sung-ki, I see you’ve been put in charge of waking up Maeji!” Saeyoung laughs loudly. He stands next to Advisor Sung-ki, resting a hand on his shoulder. 

“What are you doing here, Informant Ryu?” Advisor’s Sung-ki’s word are cold and clipped. In-Soo bristles at the tone in his voice. What gives him the right to treat Saeyoung like that? Even though Saeyoung just laughs at the comment, his eyes glint dangerously.

“I wasn’t aware it mattered, Sung-ki, but since you asked, I’m meeting my cousin for breakfast,” Saeyoung answers offhandedly, meeting In-Soo’s gaze pointedly.

“That’s right,” In-Soo plays along, “That’s why I was in a rush to leave. Sorry about that Advisor.”

The old man huffs and stalks away before turning back and snapping, “Mae-Jin has a meeting at 10:30. Make sure he gets there in time.”

When he’s gone, In-Soo slouches, sighing heavily. Saeyoung just shakes his head. The two stand there quietly for a moment, both confused at old man’s attitude.

“Is he always like that?” In-Soo asks after a while. 

“He’s not usually that asshole outside of meetings. I wonder if something happened,” Saeyoung ponders out loud. “Sorry you had to deal that so early.”

“It’s fine. Thanks for intervening.”

“It’s no problem. Walk with me to the cafeteria, In-Soo.”

In-Soo nods, hiding his hands in his jacket pockets. They walk quietly. Despite acting loud and energetic and intense the first few times In-Soo’s seen him, Saeyoung is quiet now. He looks calmer, and his eyes are bright. He stops right before they enter the cafeteria.

“We’re having a family dinner in a few weeks. You and Kyo are invited, but don’t feel like you have to if you’re not ready for it,” Saeyoung mentions. In-Soo takes a deep breath. He isn’t sure if he should feel elated or scared at the idea of family dinners, but both fight for dominance in his heart. 

“I- thank you,” he whispers, truthfully.

The day is a whirlwind. 

Despite starting late, Prince Mae-Jin’s schedule is busy: two hour-long meetings back to back, a small break for lunch, training sessions that take anywhere from half an hour to an hour, and then going through reports. And this seems to be a usual day. In-Soo hates to think of what a busy day looks like. 

The rest of the week passes slowly. He quickly gets used to the palace and most of its occupants that he’ll be dealing with. One of the Advisors gave him a knitted scarf. 

In-Soo and Kyo sits on their bed. They’re talking about everything and nothing at once, but it doesn’t have the usual calming effect. There’s a nervousness that permeates the air. In-Soo feels it thrumming in his nerves, his hands tremble. Kyo expertly braids his hair.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asks quietly.

“As I’ll ever be. Are you?” In-Soo rests his head against Kyo’s knees. He hums. In-Soo closes his eyes. A while later, he feels Kyo drape the blanket over them. 

His dreams are restless. He’s chasing someone. He finds them in garden of the palace, but it turns into the ocean. They turn to look at him.

“In-Soo! Wake up!”

In-Soo is shaken awake, an unsettling feeling deep in his stomach. Kyo leans over him, already dressed.

“I’m up; I’m up,” he yawns. 

“Good morning!” Kyo smiles. 

In-Soo gets ready quickly. He sighs as he stares at himself in the bathroom mirror. For some reason, he feels like he looks different than usual. He rolls his eyes at the thought. He walks out of the bathroom. Kyo’s pacing in front of the desk. He looks up when In-Soo closes the door. 

“Are you okay?” In-Soo asks. He ignores his own pit of nerves that’s devouring him. 

“Yeah, I’m just nervous,” Kyo admits quietly. In-Soo opens his arms wide. Kyo laughs as he walks into his embrace, hugging back tightly. They stay like until there’s a sudden, loud knock on the door. 

“Have a good day,” In-Soo whispers.

“You too.”

In-Soo spends the next few hours trying to write the letter. He has a few more words. There’s a whole sentence now. The clock reads, “10:00.”

He takes a deep breath before pushing in his chair.

In-Soo walks out of his door. He waits a moment before knocking on the prince’s. There’s a thud before footsteps. The click of a lock. In-Soo takes a nervous deep breath. His heart is jumping in his throat. He can do this. He will do good here, he reminds himself.

Prince Mae-Jin opens the door.

“Good morning,” he smiles cheerfully, “Come on in!”


End file.
